


We're Not Strangers Anymore

by cupidelixir



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, School Projects, Slow Burn, kind of, you'll see :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 31,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26676862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupidelixir/pseuds/cupidelixir
Summary: You started out as strangers, knowing nothing about each other but the faults and misconceptions. But after being thrust into an unsavory arrangement, becoming something more may be inevitable.-Updates Weekly-
Relationships: Death the Kid/Reader
Comments: 69
Kudos: 123





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello esteemed readers, 
> 
> The plot of this story takes place in anime canon, (because the manga canon fills too many holes and doesn't leave much space for any more world building/extra arcs) 
> 
> Also, I must warn. The prologue for this book is a little bit of a bore due to the much needed exposition, but once you get passed it, it becomes a lot more 'enjoyable(?)' to read. 
> 
> And just a suggestion, if reading on a computer, I recommend using the chrome extension "InteractiveFics" to substitute your name and your 'partner's' name into the story (Who I've decided to call Rei). It just generally makes the story a lot more immersive. 
> 
> Unfortunately it doesn't have a mobile counterpart, so if reading on a phone, then hopefully Y/N and Rei will have to do for now :) 
> 
> That being said, happy reading!

_Rule #1 Life isn't a fairy tale. If you want to be saved, you gotta do it yourself._

_//_

life is a sad, fucked up example of bad situational irony. And apparently, It's too easy to suffer from protagonist syndrome.

It had all started a while ago - when your alarm wouldn't wake you up in the morning, when breakfast became a slice of toast or even occasionally nothing at all. Getting ready every day shifted from a simple routine into a festinate dance, running around in shambles just to get to school on time.

It seemed like the universe just had it out for you.

But today wasn't any different. You woke up 20 minutes after your alarm, a mechanism sent by hell to torment men for their wicked sins- probably- If not to torment men, then to torment you.

Your partner, Rei, she was pissed. Her frustration never lasted longer than noon, though. It made you wonder why waking everybody up was a position delegated to you. As long as the bad luck funk had been going on, it would make more sense if someone with a little more brownie points from the universe would do things around here. Nevertheless, despite all that, you two still arrived at school five minutes before the class started.

That was all thanks to Rei's impeccable adaptability, and thank death for that. Although she could be a bitch more often than not, at least she was dependable.

Exhausted and currently out of breath from running the marathon that you could call getting _to_ school, you two pummeled into the first period - Soul studies.

You get used to the unwarranted looks and glances after a while. After all, everyone is far more worried about themselves to actually care about whatever damned soul is unfortunate enough to face Prof. Stein when you arrive late to class.

"That was a close call-" Rei gasped for air, her breathing shallow as she took her seat. "Any later and i'm _sure_ Stein would have grated us into hamburger patties." she snickered.

"Yeah, not before he dissects us to dig through our guts." You waved your hands around in a spooky gesture, imitating the mad scientist type character you had as a professor. You could almost imagine the bloodthirsty smile he possessed as he cut open endangered animals for fun.

You took your seat near the back right next to her, subtly eavesdropping on passing conversations about everything. Sitting in the back had its pro's - It made you look like a mysterious entity watching humans in their element, you could hear every discussion from a distance, and most importantly, almost all the kids in your class were straight-laced enough to sit near the front; leaving almost the entire rear column of seats to yourself.

Of course it was a pain in the neck to get up there without garnering sneaky glances from everybody, but there wasn't much difference either way.

There were keywords you liked to look out for when listening to gossip: Crush, fight, teacher, homework, and project. Project was a big one. At the DWMA, projects aren't a frequent occurrence, but when they happen - they're always a huge deal, often being half or more of the quarter grade.

 _"You know, Soul." Maka leaned into her partner's ear, "My papa was saying something about a big project coming up. One that would take up the_ **_whole quarter._ ** _" Her eyes widened, waiting impatiently for the professor to waltz through the door._

Whatever Maka said after that was irrelevant to you. All you needed to hear was the magic word. _Project._ This was bad.

Projects always meant partners. Partners that more-often-than-not, you don't get to choose. But even if you did hypothetically acquire the ability to choose, you had no idea who.

There was an unspoken 'project rule.' If you had to choose a partner, they can't be your own. The excuse is that it helps to get used to other weapon types, or create a more 'versatile' skill set it takes to resonate with anybody other than the person you've been working with for years.

But like everything in this god-forsaken, and likely lawfully immoral school, the reason was probably something more simple. (You were pretty sure the reason was to discourage cheating and partner bias, but teachers refused to confirm.)

Nevertheless, no matter who you would end up with, the result would probably be fucked regardless.

At the ring of the bell, Prof. Stein walked in with Sid, Nygus and Spirit (More commonly referred to as _'The Death Scythe')_ trailing behind him in a line. Everyone immediately stopped talking, and moved their eyes towards the front of the room. Watching their teachers carefully for any instruction.

This was definitely odd.

Prof. Stein flashed his signature sadistic smile to himself and began to pass a stack of papers to each one of the teachers. Rei turned to look at the teachers, and glanced a puzzled look at you.

"I wonder what's happening...?" You whispered.

 _"_ I don't know." She paused to think as she tried fruitlessly to read the content printed out on the documents. "It can't be anything good, though." Rei's eyes naturally gazed upwards as she attempted to listen into whatever was just about to happen.

"Calm down." You hushed. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Worst thing they could possibly do is make us recreate the hunger games."

She chuckled at the comment and let herself fall back into her chair, slacking from the tense posture she held herself in. If anyone was a chronic over-thinker, It was her. Her mind was probably racing around in circles at all the possibilities of what could be happening.

"Alright students!" Stein projected to the rest of the class. "Today we start a quarter long project.; This will be worth your _entire_ grade for the next report card - Care to explain, Sid?" he gestured to the teacher beside him. He cleared his throat and began:

"For the next three months," He glanced his eyes all around the room, gauging the reaction of everybody in the room. "You will all be switching partners."

Everyone who actually gave a damn let out a collective gasp, eyes widening at the objective of the assignment.

"Allow me to finish," He continued, "Weapons will be pairing up with other weapons-- Technicians with other Technicians."

Partners all around the room gave quick glances at each other, then back at the teachers in the front for more information. Sometimes two weapons would partner together if needed, or if their technicians weren't available for some reason. But two technicians - together? That was pretty much unheard of. The only way students had learned to resonate with other meisters was through the connection with weapons.

That begged the question. If students were supposed to be switching partners for three months, how was anybody supposed to collect any souls? Sure, weapons had the advantage, but anybody who happened to be a meister was out of luck. Technicians could fight on their own using a plethora of different techniques, but they're hardly effective; mainly being used to stall or inflict an extra little bit of damage with every attack. But even so, none of them would ever be able to hurt anyone enough to annihilate an opponent.

"Uhm...Excuse me," Ox intercepted with a side-eyed gaze. "How are we supposed to do any sort of soul-collecting when we're physically incapable of-"

"-Yeah!" Kilik interrupted. "That can't be fair to us meisters when we've been trying our hardest to make-"

"It's alright children-" Nygus added. "You'll still be able to take missions with your original partners. This project is only to help strengthen your abilities to resonate with different people, and learn to be less dependent on your fighting counterparts."

"We just want you guys to be able to defend yourselves if there ever comes a time when you don't have a weapon with you--and vice versa." Sid clarified.

At that, everyone sighed in relief. Not being able to collect any souls for that long would be a detriment , and not to mention a huge disadvantage for meisters who couldn't fight during that time.

"Weapons - Follow Spirit and I to class 3-b, where we'll be meeting every first period for the next quarter. Technicians, stay in this room with Prof. Stein and Sid for further instruction and partner assignments - Good luck!" Nygus gestured for all the weapons to rise from their seats and come to follow into the classroom about a hallway over.

"Farewell my beloved partner," Rei arose from her seat and started down the stairs, holding her hand out to metaphorically grasp yours. "Speak at my funeral once i'm gone." she batted her lashes and turned around for good. Assignment wise, she definitely had a much better selection of partners to get saddled with. You on the other hand...

You pondered on all the potential partners you would be okay with. Unfortunately, more than half the meisters in this class are batshit crazy, or downright overbearing pushovers who take everything _way_ too seriously.

Maka is too studious, she would definitely get good grades, but would totally be pushy the entire time. Black*Star, would be himself - just not compatible. Ox would probably act somewhat like Maka, only a little better. Kim would make a good partner, besides the fact that she rarely put in much work, at least she would be understanding-- even if you had to end up doing most of the project.

Before you could dwell on the thought any longer, Stein called out from his swivel chair in front of the chalkboard below.

"Okay people!" He waved a stack of papers in front of his face and fanned himself slowly. "I'm going to read out your assignments and you'll be dismissed--Got it?"

Everyone shook their heads in anticipation, some even muttered softly to themselves. Only doing what I could imagine to be uttering prayers under their breath that their partner won't end up being completely unbearable.

"Alright, Let's get started." He peers down at his papers, pulling one off from the stack. "When I call your names, come down to the front and get your paper."

"Black*Star and Ox Ford"

_Aw shit, well there goes the less pushy version of Maka._

"Tom and Kilik Lunge."

_Okay, that leaves you and-_

"Maka Albarn and Kim Diehl."

_Wait... That's everyone except-_

**_"Y/N L/N and Death the Kid."_ **

_Fuck. you had almost forgotten about him._

_A/N fun fact: if you don't know who Tom is, he's a character from the manga ._


	2. Chapter 2

_Rule #2 Everything is temporary. If you feel like something's going wrong, just wait a few weeks-- it'll shape up in no time._

_//_

From the front of the room where Kid frequently sat, His eyes traveled to the back to make eye contact with yours. Simultaneously, you both arose from your seats, and made your way to the front of the classroom where Prof. Stein held the paper out between the two of you.

It was obvious that Kid wasn't the most ecstatic about the idea. He practically snatched the paper out of Stein's hands and mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath.

"Don't worry class." Stein chuckled sadistically "This assignment won't kill you... We hope." He waved his hands towards the door, and gazed at you a second longer than he should have.

Of course you had known _Death The Kid ,_ it would be impossible not to. Well, maybe you didn't _know_ him - but you knew who he was. You shared at least 3 classes with him for the past couple months he'd been going here, and even had a couple of mutual friends. But from all of that, you were practically informed of one thing - this man is absolutely crazy.

There was a comparison made earlier between Maka and Ox. If anything, those two were just two sides of the same coin. But if you were to throw Kid in the mix, we would be opening a whole other can of worms.

Death the Kid looks like a normal, teenage boy on the outside. But there's just something about him that screams god complex and inferiority complex at the same time. Sure, you could blame it on the fact that he's a _literal god -_ there's no denying that. But he sure didn't have to act like it.

And today, he had only proved it over and over again.

It all started when he had first grabbed the paper. He held it gently in his hands, careful not to rip or god forbid, wrinkle the paper - and he walked away. Strutted his thin form and up and left without a word or second glance.

You hadn't even had a look at what the paper said before he sighed and made his way to his desk to retrieve his stuff.

Of course, you had no choice but to follow him; and he must have noticed too. Because when he turned around, he held out the slip of paper and molded his face into one of visible displeasure. He wouldn't even look at you! His eyes peered into an unoccupied corner of the room, careful not to make eye contact with you any more than he needed to.

You slowly reached out and grabbed the paper from his unusually thin hands. "Uh.. Thanks?"

"Sure." He stated flatly, finding the courage to actually speak to your face, he let his eyes meander from the dusty corner he was once looking at and into your eyes. "Just, try not to be late anymore. I don't want you to mess this up."

As soon as he prefaced that, he picked up his neat pile of papers and books and calmly left the room. You stood there dumbfounded at his complete lack of emotion as he spoke. It was like an eight year old reciting their first monologue.

"Sure thing..." You whispered when you were sure he couldn't hear it anymore. But instead of stewing in the wacky situation you could've called an interaction, you sat down in the nearest seat and read the paper quietly to yourself.

**_Partners: Death the Kid, Y/N L/N_ **

**_Death the Kid:_** _Two star Technician_ ☆☆

**_Likes: The color black, perfectly sharpened pencils, symmetry._ **

_Well yeah, anybody with half a brain could tell you he liked symmetry. But what's this about?_

**_Y/N L/N:_** _Two star Technician_ ☆☆

**_Likes: Sleeping in late, reading fanfiction, being sarcastic_ **

//

You sat and wondered how in the hell he could possibly know all of this about you. You didn't ever remember sitting down and filling out a form of your likes and dislikes.

Below everything, there was a small excerpt written by Stein.

_The information above should give you some extra knowledge about your partner to help you before you resonate for the first time (All collected by me of course :)) You can use it to help understand your partner- or not. You're just digging your own grave. Have fun!_

You snickered, folding and lodging the paper between one of your textbooks. Not only was it beyond creepy that one of your own teachers would analyze his students like that, but also the fact that he got almost everything down to a T; then again, this is Stein we're talking about, he does things like analysis and experiment for _fun,_ it wouldn't be completely out of character. Although Kid's quirks had been obvious enough, perhaps yours were the same way.

That being said- due to the nature of the class, you had an extra half an hour before you had to move onto your next period. Leaving you to wander the halls aimlessly before the bell rang.

All throughout the hallway, you could see frustrated students; finishing up whatever homework they couldn't complete the night before, reading a book, or scribbling haphazardly on a lined piece of paper. As you walked past all of them, circling the different hallways before you could enter your next period, you reflected on just the past hour. For the next quarter,you would have to depend on Kid for at least half of your grade. _It was more like he would have to depend on you_. And you didn't even know what the assignment would entail. And it didn't help that he evidently doesn't care for you much.

You could tell. The way his face contorted into a nasty glare when you made eye contact. The hesitancy to step closer than six feet, as if you had some sort of nasty disease that he was susceptible to contracting. It was tell-tale signs that even though you had for all intents and purposes met today, he clearly wasn't interested in getting along.

That was absolutely devastating. Not because you cared if he liked you or not. But because if you couldn't get along, there was no way in hell that you would be able to resonate with each other.

In the words of Stein, you would be 'Digging your own graves,' if you couldn't possibly get this to work out.

So you prayed silently for the third time this morning (which surprisingly wasn't even a record high) that Kid had just slept on the wrong side of the bed.( _Instead of the middle)._ And that his funk would dissipate and you could go about this assignment as peacefully as possible.

But like a sound from the depths of hell, as _all_ alarms proved to be, the bell echoed gaudily through the foyer, signaling the 5 minute passing period _and_ theday being an hour closer to its end.

_I will have plenty of time to worry about my non-cooperative partner._ You thought simply, trying your hardest to reduce your anxiety to nothing and shove it into the furthest part of your brain.

And you were right. You would have _plenty_ of time to worry about it. Just not right now.

_"This is going to be a long-ass day."_ You whispered to yourself, pulling your books closer to your chest and as you paced down the hallway. Hopefully your partner would have better luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats, you've finished the first chapter. I plan on posting at least once every week to keep the updating consistent. As always, Thanks for reading :)
> 
> Chapter Word count: 1.4k


	3. Chapter 3

  
_Rule #3 Most of the time, people don't mean half the shit they say. If they did-- life would be so much simpler._   
  


_//_

The walk to the DWMA the next morning was excruciatingly long. Combined with the fear of failing Steins class, and Kid's wrath alone, it seemed the universe decided to take pity on your poor soul today. Or maybe Rei had just decided that enough was enough and took some initiative in waking you up. Either way, it was surely different. You had almost forgotten what the proper sound of a blaring alarm was.

Being able to take your time getting ready felt peaceful, but also boring. As if you had to wait for something to happen before you could finally start your day.

You and Rei had said your goodbyes in the hallway before finally parting ways to go to your respected classes for the first period. You had forgotten to ask her about who she was assigned to - you made a mental note to do so later.

You walked into class ten minutes before it was supposed to start. Kid was sitting in the front section, like always. You were the only two in the class.

It looked quite odd. Walking into an empty classroom besides one person, sitting quietly with their hands crossed on the table. His eyes followed you as you took your seat next to him.

"I see you've decided to take my advice?" He smiled, and pushed aside his books on the table. It was like he was saving you a seat.

"I guess." You added with a small chuckle, looking at him and back at the chalkboard. It was ghost quiet, so uncomfortably silent that you could almost hear the tension in the air.

Kid cleared his throat, grabbing your attention from the space you found yourself zoning in and out of.

"I apologize," He looked remorsefully. "You had something in your hair when we last spoke, I didn't want to be rude, but I suppose I acted shortly. I'm sorry."

_You didn't want to be rude?_

"That's alright," You smiled through the pain. "Am I okay now at least?"

"Much better."

_That's it. This man is actually crazy._

He pretty much just told you the whole reason he was acting like a douche was because there was something in your hair. Of course you knew about his little symmetry breakdowns, but this? This was too far.

It was comforting to know that he didn't actually hate you. That would have been the worst possible outcome. What an interesting first impression it would have made.

The awkward and silent tension between the two of you slowly depleted. It never fully disappeared, but as soon as class started when Prof. Stein and Sid walked in, the air felt less heavy. Like some kind of invisible wall had been removed.

That didn't mean you felt comfortable. You became hyper-aware of his presence, the warmth radiating off of his tailored suit and into your direction. You could hear every single scratch of his pencil, and every rub of the eraser when he messed something up. Every breath he took into his nose, and out his mouth. 

He also talked to himself. Which was kind of annoying if you were telling the truth.

Sitting directly next to him made it so easy to find little things to be frustrated about. Just as he had been about the hair. It was your own way of trying to spite him. _Though you hadn't actually realized it yet_.

It should have all just been blood under the bridge - a funny first encounter. But something about it just pissed you off.

But in the end, you decided to let it go. Nobody would get anywhere by holding stubborn grudges. Frankly, it wasn't that deep. If you didn't want to like someone, you would find things to dislike about them. He had made an effort to be better, so perhaps you would too.

_Maybe you were both a little bit crazy._

But class had started and everything was fine. As fine as soul studies could possibly be. It helped to know that for the next three months, you wouldn't have to worry about seeing another dissection. And you also had Sid in the class, that way if things got too out of hand, at least he would be there to do a little bit of de-escalation. 

Compared to some of the other pairings, Kid definitely wasn't as bad as a partner you'd thought he'd be. He was attentive, quiet (For the most part) and he knew when to apologize. 

You watched the clock nestled in the corner of the classroom, counting down the seconds as the long, red hand traveled around and around the clock. It was hypnotizing. The sound of Stein's quiet, monotone voice lecturing about the science of the assignment didn't help either. If Kid hadn't been scratching away at his paper you would have probably fallen asleep. 

Soul studies had never been the most interesting class to begin with. Almost all of it was common knowledge you'd be able to slowly understand after doing field work. Or, just copious observations made by scientists who had kicked the bucket hundreds of years ago. 

so what good would paying attention be anyways? 

Because of the nature of the project, there wouldn't be any tests for the next ten weeks. Ten weeks of what you could only assume to be pure torture. There was no doubt it would be physically exhausting, and possibly even emotionally. But you had no choice to just let the tides pass - Hoping that the little freak sitting beside you would be able to be cooperative for just ten weeks. 

_Ten weeks._

You made a mental note in your head: Starting today you would go home and make a countdown sheet. Watching the days slowly drift away always made time feel like it was speeding by. Fingers crossed that the same concept would apply. 

Your eyes sink in and out of the view of the clock. 8:45. You only had about five minutes until class would finally be over. 

As you looked around the room, silently observing the size of the group left over from the decline of weapons in the room, it dawned on you how small the class really was. 

There were tens of empty seats, and most of the students _still_ chose to sit close to the front. You supposed it rather nicely proved a point. Out of everyone here, you were most definitely the most normal. Although it may have sounded condescending, it was true. 

_But if the universe had grown more accustomed to you like this morning had suggested, you hoped to death that you could buoyantly take advantage of that._

_Chapter Word Count: 1.1k_


	4. Chapter 4

_Rule #4 Getting shocked by another persons unadulterated energy hurts like hell, try to avoid it if possible - if not, refer back to rule #1._

_**Week 1 - Day 3** _

_//_

You rubbed your eyes awake harshly, seeing stars from the previous night's awful slumber. As soon as you started waking up on time, your body refused to feel as energized as it used to be. Your circadian rhythm had been officially ruined. The payoff? happy partners - on both sides of the board. The real question here was if it was truly worth it. The answer hadn't been decided yet. 

Finally being able to have breakfast was a blessing. Now, instead of plain toast, you were privileged enough to be able to have butter with it - and _maybe_ a glass of juice if you were exponentially lucky. Lets face it, you woke up, but nobody ever said you had to be too prudent. 

Today would officially be the start of the new project. The start of what really mattered, anyway. Yesterday had brought the fundamental gist of what you would be doing. You hadn't bothered paying attention to the lectures, there were other things on your mind. You would figure it out today, regardless. You could only hope you didn't miss too much of the memo. 

Overall, this week had brought many new changes: A new schedule, a new partner, and a new routine. Now, you would have to start watching how you styled your hair. Because if it could be helped, Kid better be cooperative. 

You enjoyed being able to actually _walk_ with your partner to school instead of vivaciously dashing along the pavement every morning just to get to class on time. It was a great time to make polite small talk and casual conversation.

"So, sleeping beauty," Rei smirks, smacking your shoulder playfully. "How's being partners with Kid going, huh? 

"Fine I guess, asshole." _yes, polite small talk. "_ Who'd you get saddled with anyways?" You smacked back, grinning from the playful banter. 

"Oh, I don't think I ever told you," she let her eyes travel back to the front of the street as you crossed. "Me and Soul got partnered together, pretty sure it's because we're both longer handled weapons, he's pretty cool though. No complaints here." She shrugged. 

You pause. You don't ever remember telling her about being partners with Kid. As bad as it sounds, you really didn't like to think about him too much. 

"Uhh, how did you know about me and Kid?" you gaze cluelessly, watching her face for any sign of unsavory expression. 

"Well I mean, It's not like you told me or anything. I Had to at least _try_ and figure it out myself." She let out lightheartedly. "And besides, everyone knows - almost everybody in our grade is envious of you, it would have been impossible for me not to have found out." 

She had to have been joking. Envious? That dude got pissy over a string of hair out of place - and people wanted to be his partner? 

"Why?" you asked, stepping over every crack in the sidewalk. "He's so over sensitive, its a real pain in the ass having to deal with his antics." 

"It's probably just because he's hot, if we're being honest." She had a point. He wasn't the worst looking, and if you got over his childish behavior he could even be quite attractive, but you had been on the opposing end of one of his fits, and it was the farthest thing from pretty. 

"I don't understand people who start getting possessive over someone just because they're cute." You reasoned. "It's not like they're amazing just because they have the looks."

"You're one to talk," Rei laughs. "Says the bitch who reads fanfiction about anime characters just because you think they're sexy."

"You know what." You deadpan. "Valid point." 

From there, your conversation came to a natural resolution. You had made your way up the hellish stairs and through the halls a whole 15 minutes before class started. Now that was a record. Your locker seldom received sunlight in the morning, it felt different, but good. 

Today, a couple of students had arrived before you did - including Kid. That made you wonder, exactly what time did he come to school anyways? For all you knew he must sleep here every night. 

Probably in the janitor's supply closet, that way if he felt anything was out of place, he could grab the bottle of bleach from under his head being used as a makeshift pillow and start cleaning away. But that was only a funny thought. He probably lived in a huge mansion in the middle of nowhere. His room was probably just as clean and orderly as the school. _What does his room look like?_ Your cheeks blushed at the implication. You would probably never see it. 

Kid had greeted you with a gentle smile and a wave of his hand, hospitably inviting you to take your seat. "Good morning, Y/N" 

"Morning," you smiled back at him, taking your stuff and putting it down on the desk in front of you. "Everything alright?" 

"Yep." He took a quick glance and then back at the board. The words _Day 1_ were written in chalk neatly across the board. Menacingly and eerily gazing back at you. It was only day 1 of many. And you hoped that you could start it off at a good pace. 

"Do you think you're ready?" You asked. 

"I suppose," He replied nonchalantly, "It shouldn't be too hard, right?" 

_At least he was confident._

Prof. Stein came barreling into the room on his swivel chair. With this, he almost crashed into the dissection table resting in the front of the classroom. You would have thought he'd learned by now - It happens _every_ time. But of course, this was no normal teacher you were dealing with. This was Stein. 

"Okay!" Prof. Stein reeled in the attention of the entire class with his voice, if not his stunt with the chair. "You're gonna start by getting up from your seat and grabbing your partner's hands and closing your eyes." His eyes drooped into a menacing glare. "And no peeking or I won't hesitate to fail you and gouge your eyes out for an experiment." He smiled widely and clapped his hands together roughly. "Are we ready to begin Sid?"

"As ready as we can be, Stein." He smiled, looking head on at his students.

"Then let's start!"

Everyone looked at their partners morosely, already discouraged from the new circumstances, Stein's spiel did nothing to help assure anybody.

As signaled, everyone got up from their seats and made way to a designated space in the clearing at the front of the classroom. 

"Make sure to leave some space between groups," Sid announced, "We don't want anybody's vibrations to accidentally be caught by another team."

Everybody nodded their heads, acting as if they knew what in the hell Sid was talking about. It was easier just to go with it.

Both of you made your way to a middle- end of the circular clearing, plenty of space away from the groups. Kid reached out for your hands first. "You heard the man." He smirked, holding them tautly. His hands were so soft. Even if they were abnormally disproportionate for his body type. His hands held yours perfectly inside. They fit together flawlessly like a puzzle piece.

Even though Kid closed his eyes after grabbing your hands, the thin smile on his face still remained. He looked as calm as a person having a good dream. A slight blush tinted his upper cheeks. Kid looked simply ethereal. This sight alone almost had you blushing yourself. But you decided to just close your eyes instead. Stein's gruesome threats remained, and if you didn't have eyes you would never be able to look at him again.

"What we want you to do is focus on finding your partner's soul without losing connection." Sid began. "Just imagine being able to connect to it psychically, feeling a tether attaching itself between your two souls."

As you envisioned his soul, you felt a cold sweat run down your neck. It felt like you were enveloped in a cool breeze, never-ending wind with no way to become warm again.

And there it was, his soul glowing among the vast darkness it was surrounded by. You tried to reach out your metaphorical hands to grab it, to feel its power right between your fingertips. It shocked you to your core, surging through your body and into the ground through your feet.

You felt connected.

You both flinched from the impact, cutting off the connection faster than it started. Your eyes flew open and your hands immediately disconnected from each other, leaving you out of breath. 

"Try that again you two," Sid notioned kindly. "Someone wasn't ready to resonate yet, you need to communicate with your partner."

"Sorry," You looked down at your feet and back at his face. He didn't seem to be hurt or anything, that was good. "Can we try that again?"

He nodded and grabbed your hands once again. They were enveloped in a cold sweat.

"What does my soul feel like?" Kid inquired. He breathing slowed, himself trying to travel to the depths of your soul.

"it's cold," you told him. "But a comforting kind of cool, a calm breeze." Of course, like everyone else, the space in which the soul resides is empty. But if you could choose a color to describe it, it would be blue.

The color of his soul was a bright red, but the aura it gave off said otherwise.

The sheer power it radiated was immense. It was almost intimidating. But you felt him inside your heart. Slowly approaching your soul apprehensively.

"What about mine?"

"It's so warm." He said. "Like a summer's day, a cerulean sky above an ocean breeze. Can I touch it?"

In any other context that would have been weird to ask. But you felt him reaching out anyways. Your soul was in his hands, a cool embrace. And you reciprocated, reaching your warmed vibrations towards his own.

You felt that spark.

And you embraced his power, letting it fill you. If anybody had been spectating the intramural interaction, they would have felt the visceral drives each of you possessed. You could feel him - understand what made his mind's clock tick.

His thoughts felt like a swift coursing stream, cold and constantly giving more and more infinitely. His mind ran at a pace that only someone in tune with him could fully match. And you did, if only for the quick seconds that felt like an eternity.

It was different than resonating with a weapon. With your partner, the tether between your two souls was seamless. The connection between you and Kid, rather, was driving. It took so much more energy just to hold your souls together. There was a metaphysical gap letting out a constant current of energy.

Your body's warmth rushed out of it as soon as the connection was made, it felt feverish. Like all the warmth leaving was being transferred and being covered by a warm blanket of energy. But as much as you gave, you were always compensated in return. It was like a shared filter

"Looks like we got our first successes," Sid praised, "Try slowly letting your hands apart, keep them up and step back. Try to feel the current between your hands."

You felt Stein enter close to the proximity of your field, his eyes watching you even if you couldn't see it. "You can open your eyes now."

Your hands were still held tightly between his own, netted together and pushed outwards to keep a fair distance. The first thing you noticed was the bright blue shield that hovered over the both of you. It was the tell-tale sign that you had resonated souls. 

You made eye contact with his blinding golden eyes. They held so much depth, they were so beautiful, you were sure you could get lost in them. 

The gaudy bell rang, knocking you out of your hazy trance. The blue shield rested atop your heads dissipated into nothingness. You felt like a plug had been pulled abruptly from your heart. It had ended. 

You could have sworn that damn bell hated you, the devil's magnum opus - and it completely ruined your moment. 

You didn't care what Stein was saying right now, It didn't matter what time you had left until school ended anymore. You wanted to do that again. 

And maybe Kid wasn't as bad as he seemed. 

_**Word count** : 2.1K_


	5. Chapter 5

_Rule #5: 'Trust Exercises' are dumb. Holding someone's hand and staring into their eyes won't make you trust anybody - only remember a thousand insecurities you didn't even know you had._

**_Week 1 - Day 5_ **

_//_

This wasn't your place as a student to try and figure out, but you were pretty sure Prof. Stein was a sadist. You were under the impression he was just a creep (I mean, have you seen the way he ogles his students) but his terrible excuses had been drawing the line thin.

This morning, he had made everybody go out to the schools's basketball court with their partners. Now, you would think that perhaps you would be playing a simple game of basketball-but no-He had the ingenious idea to do 'trust exercises' in the hot Nevadan sun, in full uniformed clothing.

It was painful.

Everyone stood in their small groups, reminiscent of the exercise from earlier this week. He had ordered that each group would hold hands and stand there for the next hour long period, doing nothing but looking into their eyes and focusing.

Apparently, not enough people were able to connect well enough that day to warrant moving forward. As Stein liked to put it, you would have to 'go back to the basics.' 

It hadn't seemed physically exasperating at first, but this was a torture method in a realm of its own. The sun beat down harshly atop everyone's head with the redoubled heat of hell-flames. Scalps were burning and you swore you could hear groaning.

Everybody was adorned with their button-up shirts and blazers. Extra layers in 120 degree weather had to be a joke. But alas, to everyone's dismay, Stein was being completely serious and was even visibly enjoying himself watching everybody squirm with discomfort.

But damn-you weren't sure if it was just the weather or just you- but holding hands with him for so long had started to make your face feel hot.

Kid was known for staring at others for uncomfortably long periods of time. It wasn't uncommon for you to notice the boy surveying his prey with the eyes of a hawk from the complete opposite ends of the room. You had finally realized this was a bad idea. He was making _that_ face again. 

Death only knew what that could possibly mean, but it made your heart clatter in your chest. What had he noticed this time? Was it the beads of sweat running down your forehead due to the hot sun? Had he finally noticed that one eye seemed to be positioned slightly higher than the other? Or maybe, he had come to the conclusion that you just weren't 'good looking' enough for him. 

You wanted to hope that it couldn't possibly be _that_ bad. But knowing Kid, it could very well be that bad. You thought that maybe your mutual resonation on Wednesday had meant something. He literally saw into your soul for heavens' sake. How could a couple gross, smelly beads of sweat possibly come between that? You'd just have to wait and see. 

His lips were pursed tightly, and his eyes were windows into the emotions of conflict and paranoia. His breath quivered and the hold on your hands grew tighter. As his eyes focused back onto your face, his expression seemed to calm itself. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked. 

If you could have taken your hands and face palmed in that moment, you would have. You didn't even realize that you had been making faces at him. 

Or maybe he was like a real, animalistic predator- he could smell the fear from miles away. Or in this case, about a foot, with barely enough space for Lord Death himself to nestle between your bodies. 

"What do you mean?" you rolled your eyes, not letting his bullshit attitude break your stride. "You're the one making faces, is there something wrong?"

"Well- uh, you see. . ." His demeanor grew panicked again. His eyes traveled around the court, looking for something he obviously couldn't find. "I uh- I think there's a couple pieces of my hair that the wind blew out of place. Is it bad?" He spoke urgently and inhaled deeply, his hands started twitching in your hold. 

You tried observing his hair from your position in front of him. You couldn't let go of his hands so you wouldn't be able to do a 360 degree check-up or anything. But from what you could see, nothing seemed out of place. 

At least he hadn't been worrying about your face, though. This time, the problem had lied within his own mind. But you supposed he just couldn't help it. The pressure of having to be looked at for a long period of time by someone you didn't know that well is pretty nerve-racking. Especially when you worry about what you look like outside of a confrontational setting. 

"It looks just fine, Kid." you reassured. 

His breath hitched for just a moment. "Are you sure?" 

"Yes, completely sure." You were getting kind of concerned for him now, he was seriously disoriented. "Are you gonna be okay?" 

You could tell that his heart was beating faster every second you stood there. He couldn't hold eye contact anymore and his movements became intense. 

"No- no no no no . . ." He stuttered, practically jumping out of his shoes at the chance to get moving. But he remained resilient, still holding steadfast to the task set before him. "I need to get to a mirror right now. Or a window- or- or even a spoon would be fine! I-" 

When Prof. Stein heard the commotion, he came walking over, comically slow. The leisure taps of his dress shoes along the hot pavement were taunting in the midst of Kid's mental breakdown. He really couldn't go any faster? 

Stein had stood in front of the group derisively. It was embarrassing, so you had tried not to look at him, or even acknowledge him any more than you needed to. But it was impossible to ignore his presence. 

"Does there seem to be a problem over here?" He asked, ridden with sarcasm underneath the prose. 

To that, you could only roll your eyes and look back at him with as much feigned politeness you could muster. That being said, It wasn't much. 

"I don't know Professor," You said, "Does it _look_ like there's a problem?" 

Stein kept his eyes glued on Kid, analyzing the situation as he freaked out right before his eyes. 

"I'm sorry. So, so sorry." Kid said, "I'll be back in just a moment, I have to go find a mirror. I'll make it up to you, I promise!" 

He let go of your hands and started booking it towards the front entrance of the court. Soon enough he was completely out of sight and everyone who hadn't passed out from the heat yet was peering sympathetically at the scene. 

"Nothing to see here, folks," Sid announced to the rest of the class. "Just get back to what you were doing, class is almost over." Every group audibly sighed. _Finally, you would be getting out of this heat._

There you stood awkwardly in front of Stein in the midst of uncomfortable silence. Your hands fell to your sides and you made apprehensive eye contact with him. 

"So. . ." You dragged. "What do you want me to do?" 

Prof. Stein's eyes traveled back to the small analog clock hung outside the school walls. His expression had changed dramatically from deadpan to nonchalant in just a second. 

"I don't know," He stated flatly."Figure it out." He turned on his heels and waltzed back to his position he was taking over with Sid on the opposite side of the field. 

_Figure it out?_ The whole point of the exercise was to be done with a partner. Was being a weapon technician even worth it anymore? Everybody at this god-forsaken school was insane - even the teachers. 

Standing alone in the empty space was embarrassing. It was like sitting alone at an empty lunch table. Although everyone was trying their best to maintain eye contact with their partners, they were completely aware of your solitude. If you could read minds, you would probably hear the light-hearted laughter that everyone was too afraid to voice in real life. 

There was no telling when he would get back. All you could do was sit there and take turns staring at a different object around you. First, it was the wall, which was stained from all the moments here in Nevada when the rain would come and the hot weather would dry it in a matter of minutes. Next object of your affection would have to be the bench nestled at the front of the court, that too was stained with- 

Kid came walking calmly through the gates where he once had been sobbing. Nothing had seemed to change except his behavior. He had walked back over and grabbed your hands like nothing happened, smiling at you pitifully. 

"Just a false alarm," He said, looking back at your eyes. "I'm so sorry, once again. How can I make it up to you?" He asked solicitously. 

"It's alright, you don't have to." 

"Why don't we get together this weekend and we can try to catch up with everyone else, Hmm? How does that sound?" He posed the idea compassionately. 

It was a nice gesture, how were you supposed to turn that down? 

"Sure," You agreed."What time works for you?"

"How about 8' a.m - bright and early, i'll pick you up too!" 

_Eight a.m? Was this guy serious?_

"Sounds good." Apparently he was serious. 

The sound of the period bell interrupted your conversation. Somehow, it was even louder than it is inside the school halls. This time you couldn't complain. You had no idea what do do if class had to go on any longer than that, let alone what to talk about. 

But you would be all alone with him tomorrow. Without any supervision or guidelines on what to do. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad. 

Then again, when it comes to you, nobody could ever be certain about that kind of thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N : as a native Nevadan, I can assure you that the descriptions of the weather were not exaggerated whatsoever, it really does get that hot. Thanks for reading, see you next chapter - its a doozy :)
> 
> Chapter Word count : 1.7k


	6. Chapter 6

  
  
  
_Rule # 6 : If somebody says that something is easy, chances are it isn't and they've just been doing it for a long time - Don't listen to them!_

//

Although you somehow did it every morning, waking up early was no easy task. Especially if you didn't have to. But this morning you had been itching to get up from your cloud-soft pillows and heavenly blankets. 

Your hands danced around the closet, looking for something suitable to wear. You had absolutely no idea where he'd be taking you. You prayed he wouldn't be taking you anywhere to fancy, that wasn't exactly the quintessence of 'making it up to you.' He didn't seem like the type of person who wold ask someone out on a date and not imply it directly, that would be embarrassing.

After you finished getting ready, there was only about ten minutes left to spare before he would arrive. You knew Kid was incredibly punctual, you'd be damned to think he'd be even a second late. So you waited in the living room, anxiously, met with your partner who seldom got up this early herself, drinking a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

Noticing your presence , she turned her head and gawked. "Why good morning, what are _you_ all dressed up for?" 

You'd been caught red handed. It was such a last minute plan, you had completely forgot to tell her about it. Besides, even if she knew, you'd never hear the last of it. She was obsessed with berating you about your love life. 

There was no point in lying to her, though. It's not like it was a date or anything. That would be completely unprofessional - and Kid was not improper. 

"I'm hanging out with kid today," You said. "He did something yesterday and felt bad, so he offered to make it up. It's just project stuff, no biggie."

"You're going on a date with _Death the Kid!?"_ Rei bursted out laughing. "I thought you said you didn't like him?"

"It's not a date, idiot!" You clarified, pacing around your shared apartment for the fifth time this morning.

"What is it then, hmm?"

You had no idea why she was even up this early. It was 8' o clock on a Saturday morning, why would anybody be up right now? Let alone up and asking stupid questions; though, those seemed to be her specialty, early hours of the morning or not. 

"He just felt bad for me, it's nothing serious or anything." you told her, watching the window carefully, he would be here any minute.

"Right." she scoffed, rolling her eyes to the back of her head. "Maybe if I ask Soul to 'get together and hang out' he'll go on a date with _me_?"

"You're ridiculous." You threw on a random pair of shoes, not like you would need anything special. "Besides, haven't you seen him and Maka in class, they clearly have something going on. I doubt he'd want to go on a date with _you_."

Rei shrugged her shoulders defeatedly "Like I always say- you snooze, you lose." She stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of the room to think. "But then again, it's not like they're dating or anything!" she reasoned, falling onto the small sofa settled in the living room. "Anyways... Where are you even going with him?"

"I don't actually know." you replied.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" She laughed. "How are you supposed to meet up with him if you have no idea where you're supposed to go?"

"He said he was going to pick me up!"

"Oh, so he knows where we live now?" she asked.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Oh no, I just think it's funny that just a couple days ago you were claiming to hate his guts, and _now_ he's coming to pick you up for a date."

"I never said I hated his guts, just that he's kind of annoying." You added defensively. There really was no way of getting out of the whole 'date' thing. But you decided to excuse it anyways. "Also, it's _still_ not a date!"

A steady knock was left at the door, promptly. It was 8' o clock sharp, it made you wonder if maybe he had been standing there for the last 2 minutes and was waiting for the right time to strike. He seemed like the kind of guy who would do that.

Your feet scrambled from the window to the door. But before you opened it, you turned back to your partner with a finger on your mouth. But knowing her, even if you had sewn her mouth shut, she would have still found a way to say something humiliating. 

You opened the door to a calm and collected Kid. He stood graciously with his hands placed to his sides and a modest smile adorned on his face. "Good morning," he brushed his hands on his pants and tried to peek over your shoulder at the state of your living environment. "Are you ready to go?" 

"Oh yeah, just a second." You grabbed your keys from the hanger near the door. "I told you, you didn't have to come _exactly_ at eight. Did I keep you waiting?" Like usual, he probably had been waiting for two minutes or more. But you supposed it was endearing. 

He smiled light-heartedly, "No, not at all. Don't worry about it." 

Oh thank god, he was wearing casual clothes. Instead of his usual black, tailored suit, Kid wore a more casual outfit consisting of jeans and a monochrome shirt. If just anybody would have looked at him, it would come at a surprise that he's the son of Death. He looked like a normal teen boy, albeit a teen boy with a wacky dye job and bangs, but that wasn't an abnormal experience, especially when it came to Death City standards. 

"Hey, Nerd!" Rei shouted as soon as you were about to close the door behind you. "Have fun on your date- but please, not too much fun. I don't want to see you in the hospital in nine months giving birth to a little death god!" 

You quickly slammed the door behind you, praying to whatever god would listen that Kid was more focused with a stain on the wall than whatever nonsense she decided to spew. But instead, you were met with his widened eyes and a soft blush dusting the top of his ears. He'd _definitely_ heard it. 

"Well, anyways..." You persevered past the awkward moment, taking the initiative to start walking away from the apartment. "Where are we going?" 

His eyes wandered lazily to the back of the door. "Is she always that mean to you?" 

"She doesn't try to be," You laughed slightly, as not to give him the wrong idea. "... It's endearing, I promise." 

"Sure has an interesting way of showing it." He commented. He was one to talk, one could never know what exactly _is_ endearing to him. "Come on, follow me." he started walking, determined to keep the place of interest somewhat of a surprise. 

Conversation had naturally taken a casual turn, simple pleasantries and facts about each other and whatnot. You had actually learned a lot about him. He had always seemed so one-dimensional, perhaps even cold at times. But there were so many fascinating things about him, it was hard to not be at least a little interested. 

Soon, the two of you came closing in on a small woodland clearing, leaving the bustling city behind you and into a more quiet place. There was a small, paved sidewalk leading into the forest. It was bright enough to see during the day-time without the use of any streetlamps, but enclosed enough to be a private hiking trail of sorts. 

The situation in itself was quite eerie. Why would he be taking you into the woods? You suppose you would just have to trust him. Being a death god didn't mean he _wanted_ anyone to die. Right? He wouldn't kill you? Right?

Better to be safe than sorry. "Uh, you're not gonna lead me into the middle of the forest to kill me right? That's awfully cliche' of you." 

He took your hand in his own, laughing so hard you were sure he would start rolling on the floor. "Now why would I do that? His laughter calmed to an out-of-breath pace. "I need my partner to be _alive_ to pass the class." 

You exhaled the breath you didn't even know you were holding. That was a relief. You suspected it couldn't be long until you found out what _was_ happening though. He looked around, trying to find a space that looked open enough to do what he wanted. And you noticed, his hand was still entwined with your own. 

You had held hands with him a lot this week, never voluntarily. But you soon realized how nice it felt. Inside the school, his hands were usually cold. It was kind of unsettling. But his warm aura wafting off of him at that moment made you feel warm too. It felt so natural to feel his touch. 

"We're here." He stopped in the middle of the pavement. There was an open space where it was a little bit wider than the rest of the path, probably for picnics or camping. 

"Okay," You took in you surroundings, the two of you were quite deep into the trail. There would be no one around for miles. "Can you tell me what we're doing now?" 

He let go of your hand and took a couple steps back, positioning himself for _something_. He summoned a skateboard from out of his hands, one that you had seen him ride to school a couple of times before. He looked so cool. But you would never tell him that. You were pretty sure he already knew that. 

_So a skateboard, huh? He was going to take you riding?_

He set it on the ground a few feet away from the initial concrete platform, making sure it didn't roll away on the pavement. 

"A skateboard?" you asked, "What are we doing?" 

"I'm going to teach you how to ride it." he said matter-of-factly. "I thought it would help if we did something _I_ like to do, and then we can do something _you_ like to do. How does that sound?"

You nodded your head, looking back at the skateboard behind you. "Doesn't that thing _fly_?" you asked apprehensively. 

"Sure does." He stated proudly. "Still works like a normal one, though. I promise, you'll be just fine." 

"Ooh come on Y/N!" Kid laughed, taking a step forward for each you took back. "It's not that hard, just try it - or are you too scared?" He smiled, grabbing your hands and dragged you to the place the skateboard was on the ground.

"Are you _sure_ this is safe?" Your eyes fell to the ground. You knew if you took one step on that thing you would immediately crash and hit the pavement.

"Oh sure..." Kid said, looking over to his side to avoid making eye contact. His hands were still firmly holding yours, he looked down at them and let go impulsively, a blush dusting his cheeks faintly.

You bit your lip softly, apprehensively approaching the skateboard before panicking and stepping back again.

"Oh my God, Kid. I can't do it, I'm going to fall." You looked back at him, your eyes pleading for him to offer some kind of sweet release or for him to take over somehow.

"That's alright," He scoffed. "You're only like two inches off the ground, even if you do fall, you won't get hurt or anything." he spoke softly, an enamored look plastered on his face.

"You promise I won't break any bones or anything?" you laughed. "If I come to school on Monday with a sprained ankle, i'll never hear the end of it from Rei."

"I promise," He held his right hand up assuringly, "If you fall, I'll make sure to catch you, okay?"

You nodded your head and took a deep breath, still doubting about how you would even step onto this thing. If you tried to put even one foot down, you would lose your balance and it would send you tumbling to the ground. No matter how you approached it, you would always reach the same resolution - sudden death.

Okay, maybe sudden death was a little dramatic. But you were sure you would drop dead from the humiliation.

Kid noticed your hesitation and held his hands out kindly, "Do you need any help?"

"Yes please!" you blurted and grabbed his outstretched hands. He chuckled and held them tightly. The atmosphere was so calming, you felt comfortable in each other's presence; as if you had been friends for years.

"Okay, here. Step one foot onto the-" He hoisted you up onto the skateboard one foot at a time, but before you could put your second foot down, the board slipped from under and you came crashing into his arms. He fell face first into your chest from the sudden fall, making both of you tumble into the ground.

The skateboard had rolled a couple feet down the sidewalk, but nowhere out of sight. He tried to scramble out of your embrace from your spot on the pavement. The end result was a sputtering mess of apologies and frantic questions.

"Are you okay?"

"Did you hit anything?"

"I don't need to take you to the hospital, right?"

You either lethargically nodded or answered idly to his concerns. You weren't hurt - just like he promised. But his face had been hovering only centimeters away from yours. He would have to excuse you being a little distracted, especially when the touch of his lips were just one small push away.

Regardless, you scurried out from under his embrace, your body red and hot from the inside out. You were pretty sure you were holding your breath, like if you were to let go, all your guts would come spilling out.

"I'm fine." You acknowledged again to try and be more reassuring. You most definitely weren't fine; though, only in the ways that didn't matter. Having enough pressure in your chest to turn your lungs into diamonds threatens only the livelihood of your conscious, not much to any physical predicament.

He sighed "I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He held his hands out for you to pull yourself back up. His normally stone face was replaced with the residue of a smile gracing his features.

_A smile_

A smile from Death the Kid was like seasonal rain, it only came once in a while. But when it did - you knew he meant it. Without the constant pressure to be perfect taken temporarily out of the picture, it was almost scary how much of a different person he is.

He was so beautiful - ethereal, you almost couldn't help but laugh. Rei was right, just a couple of days ago you were lamenting the current state of your partnership. And here you were, smiling right back at him. Which you noted, was absolutely contagious, as slight as it may be.

He didn't pressure you to get back on the board - as you 'obviously weren't made for balance.' But he did, and you watched him attentively. Seeing him in his element, watching as he did something he enjoyed doing was a breath of fresh air for his demeanor. 

He was really good though. You wondered what could have possibly possessed a death god to pick up such a hobby as skateboarding. You almost felt embarrassed watching him ride. Hell, you could barely put two feet down, let alone actually ride it. 

But he didn't let you feel embarrassed. He simply laughed it off and smiled at you. Something about this hour felt cozy. You wished that every interaction with him were this amicable. 

Later, as he promised, you took him to one of you favorite places in the city and he even bought you lunch. You had only been out with him for about four hours, but it felt like minutes. Every word was filled with geniality and his hands were warm too - so warm. 

As you walked hand-in-hand throughout the city where death himself held sway, you couldn't feel more lively. You felt comfortable just basking in his sweet company, without assignment, responsibility, or pretense. Just two friends exploring the wide-world around them whilst discovering something about the other as well. 

It was only noon. The sun was resting in the middle of the sky, shining down on every head brave enough to go out mid-day. And Death the Kid was walking you home. 

By the time you reached your doorstep, the aura between you two was amiable. You almost didn't want him to leave. 

"Bye, Kid." You let go of his hands and waved to him. "I had a really good time, thanks for setting this up." 

As soon as you let go, you were sure you saw his face turn, but if he did, he masked it just as quick. "Of course," He smiled, "See you on Monday." He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving you to unlock your door and step in. 

You looked around the room for your partner, only to see that she left you a note about being gone for a couple of hours. You had the apartment to yourself. 

Something inside you almost felt - empty. You knew you would see him on Monday, and of course you had just spent the last four hours with him. You paced frantically into your room, closing the door behind you. You reminisced of the feeling of his hands intertwined with yours, the sweet tone in his voice, his charming smile he would flash you whenever he felt happy. 

Your chest felt hot again, and you stumbled back onto the door, sluggishly dragging yourself down its frame until you hit the floor. 

**Shit, you did _not_ have a crush on Death the Kid.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Word Count: 3.1k
> 
> Decided to post an extra long and early chapter in celebration of Death the Kid's Birthday!! Sadly it's not Halloween themed, but I do have one planned due to the natural school year timeline the book takes place in. This chapter was especially fun to write and we'll start getting on the crush train pretty soon (not too soon though, I have about thirty chapters planned for this fic) As always, thanks for reading and i'll see you next time! :)


	7. Chapter 7

  
  
  
_Rule # 7: it's easy to view something as romantic even though it's completely platonic. Dude, you're just touch starved._

_//_

Okay, maybe you did have a crush on Death the Kid.

Just a little, incy wincy crush that was kind of stupid now that you thought about it. But still, your mind couldn't help wandering back to his smile, or the way he held your hands , or when you fell right into his protecting arms. 

You tried to distract yourself. You had homework to do. But everything reminded you of him; Every math question with the number eight attached to it was a one-way ticket to blush town, every time you found your paper tilted even an _inch_ to the side you would think of his hypothetical reaction. This was fan behavior. Your mind had been gutted of any rational thoughts.

Or maybe you were just obsessed with him. That's right. He worked some kind of Shinigami magic and now you were obsessed with him— highly unlikely, but it was a better explanation than anything you could come up with.

_Why did he hold your hand like that?_

No. Stop. You weren't going think about it. Crushing on anybody who showed you an inch of kindness wasn't worth this kind of thing. Sure, he was nice when he tried to be; yes, he was actually pretty fun and easygoing. How could you _not_ like him?

You guys were just really good friends. He probably doesn't know about the romantic implications of holding hands with someone— a Shinigami culture shock of sorts. You had been holding hands with him in a professional setting the entire week. He was probably just confused. 

_Confused. You were confused._

Every single boy you had ever laid eyes on at that school either had some sort of huge deal breaker about him or was just plain rude. Sure, Kid had his little symmetry problems, but it could actually be kind of cute sometimes. Everybody has their quirks, nobody's perfect. Except maybe him. This wasn't the plan. Yearning for him like this isn't the answer. 

You had to get over it. If not, this wouldn't only lead to larger problems along the way. This wasn't some kind of movie where one glance leads to a first kiss. Where two misunderstood strangers breach each other's walls and their hearts become one. Sure, maybe in your dreams--but this is reality. 

You have to have a little control here— obsessing over him is the furthest thing from control.

But maybe he felt the same. Could you ever really know? You were practically crushing on a stranger. If there were tell-tale signs, you wouldn't know them.

_He doesn't even know you._

You have ten weeks. Ten weeks to just let the tension subside and get a worthwhile grade.

There was no ace up your sleeve to get you out of this one. No amount of brownie points from the universe to save you from falling. You did the one thing you weren't supposed to do.

_catch feelings._

Sunday had seemed to fly by, but at what cost? Now, you lie in bed, hoping, praying that Death the Kid won't infiltrate your dreams just as he's taken over your thoughts. Because what good is a crush if your mind can't escape the clutches of brand new feelings?

But they would go away, right? They would. Hopefully. 

That's the thing about about brand new stuff, the newness eventually fades away and you find something else to fill the void. 

So then is this really a crush? Maybe it's just adoration, or even passionate friendship. You could go back and forth all day. Teeter-tottering on your heels between the border of acceptance and denial. The worst part? Kid is probably sleeping. Unaware of the ripples his actions seemed to cause. Chances are, this is all one-sided and you're going crazy. 

Labeling your feelings wouldn't make them go away, though. You don't have the time to be wishy-washy about all of this. All you have to do is go to sleep, and stop thinking about him. Even for just two seconds, Please.

All you were doing was filling your mind with absolutely nothing of substance. Stalling your sleep in hopes that next days' sunrise comes later than it should. Or maybe, the desert sand will freeze over, leaving you with nothing but the choice to ignore his face for yet another day. _Avoid his smile_. Fine, you've accepted it. You have a crush on Death the Kid. What now? Sleep? Crying? No, that's too dramatic. 

All you have to do is go to sleep. You'd see him tomorrow, and nothing will have changed. He'll clear a spot, greet you 'good morning' with that half-smirk that makes it looks like he knows every secret the universe holds in it's core, and you'd go back home and sleep again. 

You set your alarm, just like you did every night. Hoping, praying too, that just maybe it could all go back to the way it was. Waking up twenty minutes late, sitting in the back of the classroom, watching him from a safe distance. Maybe _then_ you'd be able to get some sleep around here. 

So fuck, maybe you did have a crush on Death the Kid.

Maybe you did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers, I thought before I posted the next chapter that a short filler one would be a nice resolution to last week's update. I do plan on updating a little later this week as well, though. So keep your eyes on the lookout for that one! As always, thanks for reading :)


	8. Chapter 8

_Rule # 8 : (1) You have to be perfect. (2) You have to be perfect. (3) You have to be perfect. (4) You have to be perfect. (5) You have to be perfect. (6) You have to be perfect. (7) You have to be perfect. (8) You have to be perfect._

**_Week 2- day 1_ **

_//_

Death the Kid is the paradigm of perfection- _He has to be._

He wakes up every morning at six' a.m. sharp; that leaves exactly one hour to get ready, which he can evenly split into two equal thirty minute increments of time. He makes his bed, cooks breakfast for him and the girls, and he leaves for school by seven so that he can be at _least_ 30 extra minutes early. Those are the four things he does each morning (four is divisible by two, and two is a good number) to maintain the order and balance he has in his life.

That wasn't to say that he didn't have time for himself. In fact, he quite enjoyed his morning routine-- doing menial tasks that didn't require much effort. It gives him some sense of control. _Because in reality, he has no control over anything._

Every step Kid takes is well calculated. His right foot always goes before his left, and he walks at a medium pace-- not slow enough to fall behind, but not fast enough to keep up.

Maybe that was a metaphor for something, he would make sure to write it down.

Regardless, he is perfect. Except for his hair-- so actually he's not perfect. He's garbage, he's shit, and he belongs inside the blue, plastic, garbage bins lined neatly along the pavement on Thursday morning's garbage day.

All qualms aside, (but not too far to the side, preferably the center) Today is Monday. Kid decided long ago-- Monday is in fact, the best, most logical day to start the week afresh. There's exactly 5 days during the week itself, which would have usually been a problem on its own; but, they're encased beautifully inside the two weekends on both sides, making it perfectly symmetrical and therefore, _perfect_.

That's why every Monday morning, he saunters to his first class of the day, and clears a space right next to him for his partner to take a seat, to balance him out appropriately. Today had been no different.

You came walking in right on time, like normal. Although he took note that you frequently used to arrive late to class, or not at all if it was an off-day. Kid felt a feigned sense of pride that you would change your habits for him, though he knew he wouldn't need to. You are capable, witty, and incredibly skilled. Shit, no one gets into the E.A.T class by just showing up, it takes grit to hold your status at this school. If you were strong enough to break your bad habits, he sure as hell can.

_Well, he can certainly try._

Again, and again, and again. Because _you_ sure as hell know that he's failed the past couple of times. _He's fucking pathetic._

Today is Monday, though. Which means the week has started anew. And besides, he's made up for the past. He learned a lot over the weekend. Including not to let you on a skateboard, among other things.

As much as he liked 'hanging out' with you on Saturday, he doesn't exactly know _why_ he did it. Yes, his original intention was to make up for his setback just a week ago, but if he was being honest, there had to be something more to it.

Liz and Patty have to deal with his 'setbacks' all the time, and he never gives them any reparations for the inconvenience. Should he? Was he being a bad Meister for giving everyone such a hard time? _Fuck, he's trash. Garbage. Absolute garbage._

Death the Kid had to smile through his intrusive thoughts as you hastily made your way to the seat right beside him. Today is a new day, and nothing has changed. He greeted you politely, as always. There was no need to deviate from the usual. 

Waiting for Prof. Stein to show up was always aggravating. As a member of the staff, you had to be confined to a certain schedule. It was apparent that he didn't believe that he was under the same expectations. But nonetheless, that was their teacher, and Kid had learned to tolerate the upheaval. 

What had come as sort of an unexpected surprise, however, was the timely arrival of their beloved teacher. He walked in gripping a fresh stack of clean, sharp papers; awfully reminiscent of the first day of the project. He had at last prevailed in looking like a normal teacher, besides the protruding bolt out of the side of his head-- that was something Kid would never get used to. It was only him, though. Sid had yet to follow directly behind. 

It wouldn't have been much of a pressing matter if Stein hadn't looked so frustrated. He seldom held any emotion played along his stone features, this was odd. 

He slammed the large pile onto his desk, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. Your eyes had widened in confusion, you had looked over at Kid to gauge his reaction, but his hadn't given you much of a different response. 

"Alright, class." Stein sneered. "This week, you guys are just going to work on a crossword puzzle." He started handing each table one paper for each group. It looked fairly simple. There were eight different slots for the words to go in, all arranged asymmetrically across each other. It's an absolute nightmare, but it should be easy. That's right. Kid could do it. He can. He can. He can.

Easy or not. This is still ridiculous. How the hell is this supposed to help anyone fight anything? Kid had hoped that Stein would pull through. That his answer would be something unlikely, but useful all the same. Stein had always been unconventional. He supposed that maybe he should trust his methods. 

"So, a crossword puzzle, huh?" You chuckled, skimming through the contents of the paper. Your expression had fallen when you saw the boxes. "You think you can do it?" _You were referencing the asymmetry weren't you?_

Kid had tried his best to offer a reassuring smile, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "Of course, ha-ha." He hoped it had been convincing. He couldn't freak out now. Most people would have thought that perhaps out of this partnership, you would have been the one to fall through. Death only knows that Kid was the true problem here. He would only drag you down. God, he's the worst. 

Stein hadn't given any more information than that. In fact, he sat down and readjusted his glasses, working quietly and attentively at the same puzzle in front of him. Shouldn't he already have the answers? 

It didn't matter. Kid is going to complete it, and he's going to complete it perfectly. If not for his own grade, than for his partner sitting right beside him. They're friends now--he's pretty sure, and he's not going to let them down. 

Kid may be trash--asymmetrical trash to be precise, but he's done dragging people down. If nothing else, he had confidence. And a small voice, he determined that it was probably just his subconscious, telling him that he needs to be strong. Not just with the assignment, of course, but with everything. 

But he knew, that as long as you're around. Maybe everything will be okay. He hoped. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided for the eighth chapter that I would do something a little different and write in Kid's perspective. It was an interesting change of pace for me, so I hope it wasn't too bad. As always, thanks for reading :)


	9. Chapter 9

_Rule # 9 : Perseverance pays... Like a lot._

_**Week 2- day 2** _

_**//** _

There was something so special about the idea of trust. The thought that someone could hold your heart in their hands and you'd be completely content with that. Was this what Stein was getting at? 

Only one word sat at the top of the paper. Trust. 

There were 8 different slots for the words to go, each hint, a different way to describe each of the words. The empty puzzle was a clean slate looking you menacingly in the eye. You had never been good with puzzles. 

Your eyes had wandered over to Kid's slacked frame, desperately crossing his eyes trying to figure out the first word-- or so you thought. 

"So..." you prodded, "Do you have anything so far?" 

"Only the first one," his hand went from his cheeks to the table, his tone of voice still hesitant. "I think-- I'm pretty sure it's hope. The hint is the dictionary definition." 

**Up: 1. _a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen._**

It had fit perfectly in the empty boxes, the letter 'p' intersecting with the next word. That one had been easy enough. The number each hint corresponded to hadn't seemed to increase in difficulty in any particular order, so there wasn't any reasonable way to solve it beside just going in the direction the boxes were arranged. You _hoped_ this wasn't a lost cause. 

You fell back in your chair dramatically, this was such a waste of time. You had disregarded everything you had once thought about Stein. This was busy work! Your mind drifted off to the other class, filled with your weapon partners. You imagined them doing some sort of fighting-combo, sparring and waving each other around while you were here on a rock-hard seat doing a puzzle. "This is so boring Kid," You sighed dejectedly, "I can't do this anymore." 

Kid shrugged his shoulders defeatedly, pushing the paper away from your view. "I agree, " He chuckled softly, checking his nails for anything unsavory. "I think we should just give up. What's he gonna do, fail us? I don't even do his tests!" 

Your head fell back at his statement, letting out a small breath. "You don't do his tests because you literally _can't,_ Kid." 

"What do you mean, I can't do his tests?" he cried. 

"I _mean,_ howdoyouevenpassthisclass? You can't even write your name without freaking out." 

He pointed his finger, feigned look of offense plastered on his face. "It was one time! One time!" A blush tinted his upper cheeks, he looked back at Prof. Stein bashfully. "Besides, now Stein just prints my name onto the test so I don't have to write it." 

Of course he does. Behold, the oh-so-sweet benefits of being a daddy's boy. 

You looked back at the paper, your eyes glued to number two. What good could possibly come from just sitting here doing nothing? 

_**Side** **-** **2** **:** **The unprecedented reliance on magic is precisely why it is important to look at the security of the process.**_

What the hell is that supposed to mean? You tried fruitlessly to read between the lines. Grasping at straws for how that could even be slightly related to 'hope' or 'trust' in some way. Your eyes hopped back and forth between the words, finding comfort and settling at "unprecedented reliance." Reliance? The word was too short. Maybe you could find a synonym. 

Contingent? No that didn't have a 'p.' The next word you tried was dependence. Which was ironic, because you hadn't been depending on Kid whatsoever. His mind was off in space at the moment, observing dust floating below the cracks in the ceiling. God, he looked so cute when he was focusing like that. 

The word had matched perfectly, you were totally on the right track. Finally! You were good at something, it hadn't been so hard after all. 

At least, that was your mindset until you looked at the third word. 

**Up- 3 : _A rich lady walks into a hotel lobby and asks that if her husband walks in to call somebody. Who does she ask the manager to call?_**

What? The answer to that would have to depend on you actually knowing the person. Who knows who she suggested. Her sister? The police? 

You felt Kid lean over and whisper in your ear. "I thought you gave up?" That was back when you didn't have anything better to do. You rolled your eyes in return. "What question are you on?" he asked. 

"I'm still stuck on number three." 

"Oh, that one was easy." he flicked his hand down, his eyes glanced towards the paper. "It's security. Obviously." Your eyes widened in response, looking at him perplexedly. Was he serious? That was a question you found yourself asking a lot these days. 

Kid cocked his head to the side, smirking at you intently. "What? I thought you were giving up?" That prick. He was always the most condescending in the cutest way. 

You scoffed, shaking your head while rolling your eyes. "Well, it's better than doing nothing, right?" You wrote down 'security' in the third spot, and of course, because Death the Kid _always_ had to be right, it matched perfectly. 

You still had about five more words to go, each of them about as easy as the last. It was fun though, being in Kid's sweet company, even if you weren't going at each other or another team in a sparring match. 

You watched the second hand on the clock rotate around the face, each number counting down the moments when that obnoxious bell would ring you out of class, you anticipating the blaring noise echoing off the large walls. It always had an echo. Kid watched you keenly from the side of your head, the look of fresh thoughts cycling through his head. "What are you thinking about?" 

"Do you know Satan?" His posture took a double take, he didn't know if you were being serious. 

"Uh, no?" He silently waited for you to respond. His befuddled state forcing a laugh to escape your mouth. 

"I genuinely believe Satan created the concept of an alarm to fuck with humans." You stated pragmatically, as if you had shared the meaning of life on a podium. 

"Well, the creator of the alarm clock is actually Benjamin Abrams, but I'm going to take a wild guess and say you don't like them all that much." He laughed, joining your eyes in watching the clock. 

As soon as the bell rang, students abruptly piled their books and supplies into their arms and flooded out of the classroom. The clamor of conversation filled up the room louder than the screeching signal. Kid picked up your stuff and placed it in your arms, holding his right arm out to let you leave. 

And they say chivalry's dead? Well, he's death, but; you know what I mean. 

Kid waved you farewell, a smile adorning his paled features. He stuck behind in Stein's room before the next period. You wondered what he could possibly be talking about with him. Oh well, it doesn't matter. 

Every interaction with him was always a dream. You couldn't believe how precipitated his behavior had become only after just weeks. He felt like a different person. How you wished you could only read his mind. You pondered what you'd find. Does he think the same of you? 

There were questions you'd never be able to answer. One's that needn't be. The current state you occupied was good enough for now. You can't have your cake and eat it too, you know. 

It looks like Rei _was_ right about this one. 


	10. Chapter 10

_Rule_ _#_ _10 : Not everything has to mean something, in fact, most things are better left unthought._

_**Week 2- day 3** _

_**//** _

Wow, fourteen days had already passed. It was the end of the second week and the days felt like they were melting into each other. It felt like just yesterday you were handed the 'paper of fate,' and your initial concerns; inconsequential. 

Having Kid as your partner was even better than you expected. He always had something to say if things were getting quiet; his innocent smile, bright enough to illuminate any room he was in. Not only was he incredibly intelligent, but he was kind too. You don't see much of that anymore nowadays. 

You had once recognized his gaze as judgmental or critical, but it was more empirical in nature. He always tried his best with what he was given. It was pretty admirable. 

The two of you had hurtled through the puzzle the best you could. Only stumbling at few key points. But with Kid's extensive knowledge in vocabulary and your critical thinking skills, which only a trickle of teams possessed, the two of you were an unmatched team. 

You had learned over the course of this time to depend on him, put a fragment of priceless trust in his perspicacity. It was sure as hell needed. 

Your eyes always found their way back to the clock. If Stein knew any better he would have taken it down months ago, it was immensely distracting. The ticking of the gears reminded you eerily of the jutting bolt protruding out the side of his head. As you watched the minute hand get increasingly closer to the ten, your stomach grew with anticipation, your mind aching to remove yourself from class. Kid had played a part in making the time more enjoyable, you almost had forgotten about the unforgiving march of time moving forward constantly in the back of your head. 

As the clock counted down the time, Stein grew progressively focused, the sound of his ball-point pen scratching the paper harshly. It wasn't often that the class received the pleasure of watching his eyes flame with tenacity, he was definitely serious about this. 

You were surprised he hadn't finished the puzzle by now. If anything, in the beginning of the week you were absolutely certain he had made this so-called 'puzzle from hell,' as remarked by Black*Star as he struggled to solve the questions. 

The entire class had recognized this. But Stein remained viscid, despite the growing audience he had in the room. His undeterred determination as time quickly ran out was a sight to behold. This crossword puzzle must have been really important. 

You and Kid had struggled at the final word, the contents of the hint appeared to be impertinent to the rest of the words. You had completed the other words though, even he seemed to be struggling--why would he fail you? 

**_Up_** _ **-**_ **_8_.** **The** **unshakeable passion of a thousand suns, warmth cascading though your body uncontrollably, unconditional, evergreen.**

God, if it wasn't purple prose thrown haphazardly onto paper-- the kind of stuff you'd find in poetry. No wonder Stein was having problems with it. It's not unfair to presume he wouldn't understand the complicated expression of human emotion. In fact, you weren't completely sure he was even human. Then again, not even you or Kid could figure out this one. Perhaps you were being unreasonable. 

A small ring let out from Stein's pocket watch, approximately ten minutes before class was supposed to end. He looked out into the sea of students working quietly (and others not so much) and knocked twice onto the chalkboard behind him brutally, getting everyone's attention. 

"Did _anyone_ get number eight?" He spoke with urgency. There was dead silence, some shook their heads while others of the more academic bunch bowed in shame. 

Ox took a quick glance around the room and raised his hand apprehensively, no one dare question Stein and his unconventionality. "Uh..." at least he was confident. "Are you okay, sir? I- I mean is it really _that_ important?"

"For your information Mr. Ford, it is quite important" Stein shot daggers from his eyes into the likes of poor, hapless Ox. "With the completion of this puzzle, one may acquire a reward of approximately ten thousand dollars in cash. According to my calculations-"

Oh, so there wasn't any point, typical. The class sat impatiently as Stein's words echoed off into a tangent. Everyone's eyes sat attentively on the clock, watching as it ever-so-slowly rotated over and over again. 

"Hey," Kid whispered, tapping you softly on the shoulder "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to sit with my friends and I at lunch later today? They really want to meet you." 

You squinted your eyes in confusion, "Don't they already know who I am? I mean, I did make a scene of myself for about two months straight just trying to get to class on time." 

He chuckled and rolled his eyes at your comment, reminiscing the days when he had no clue who you _really_ were. "Well, yeah, they know you exist. But they don't really _know_ you."

"Oh, so kind of like you?" 

"What do you mean?" He asked, "I for one, think you know me quite well." 

"Not really," you reasoned. "I know you're kind of cute and head-over-heels in love with symmetry to the point where it's almost crazy--but I don't know _that_ much about you. Hell, I don't even know your favorite color!" _Cute._ You hoped he didn't catch the slip-up. Well, you know how they say, the show must go on! No matter how many times you have to pretend your mistakes didn't happen. 

"Uh-" The top of his cheeks burned a rosy pink and disappeared before you could catch it. He was going to ignore the first part of your analysis. Smart boy. "My favorite color would probably have to be red. It pairs quite well with my hair."

"Hm," you nodded you head, "I thought your emo-ass would say black or something, that's cool though." you laughed. 

He shook his head in insincere disappointment, "Black can't be my favorite color," he said matter-of-factly, "It's a shade, duh." 

"-- And that, class, is how you properly strategize how to win at any competition with a time limit; as long as you meet the requirements, of course. That being said, we have about two minutes left in class. _Please_ tell me one of you have the answer to number eight?" Stein's voice bounded stridently through the air in the room as he tapped his pencil along his desk rythmically, but he was met with ghost silence. 

As per routine, most of the students eagerly gathered their supplies together and waited anxiously to pour out of their seats and into the foyer. As soon as the bell rang the kids flew out the door in the blink of an eye. You waved goodbye to Kid and parted ways with a smile. 

//

After third period, the halls grew louder and louder with every student that flowed into the lunch room. Unbeknownst to anybody but Death himself, the school lunch period was the same for everybody in the school; regardless of grade, status, or homeroom class. Perhaps it's for productivity, as if it makes more sense to have two thousand students flood the cafeteria during fourth period. Everybody had gotten used to it though, after a while nobody thinks anything of it (as is with many things in this school) The only thing that bugged you was the uncontrollable noise, for approximately forty-five minutes a day, you were forced to suffer through the migraine that was school lunches. 

At least you had the second headache that was your partner. 

You both had a specific routine: Meet up after class by your lockers, get lunch from the cafeteria, and eat in the bathroom until it was safe to come out of hiding. That way, you both could avoid whatever noise, and ruffians that came along with it. But today would be different. Hopefully Rei would be able to make some new friends and leave you alone for once. 

Kid and his friends sat at a table near the front of the cafeteria, you recognized everyone, although apparently the same couldn't be said for them. When he turned his head near the entrance, he picked up his hand from the table and waved you over. The entire group stared in silence as they observed you from head to toe. Your heart quickened at the sight. They probably hate you, huh? 

Maka was the first one to speak up. Despite her previous expression, her tone was warm and made you feel welcomed. "Hey Y/N, here, come sit down."

Or, maybe she did know you. 

Rei awkwardly waved her hand to Soul, her own temporary partner for the quarter. Your presence wasn't unwanted, but the new situation was tense and the initial unpleasantness was scary. 

From the end of the table, Black*Star eyed you closely, like an old face he forgot. "Hey!" he called out, "Aren't you the bitch that always makes it to class like two minutes before the bell?"

"Oh...!" Patty chimes in, "That's where I remember you from! I knew you looked familiar." 

Maka turns to Rei and gives her a concentrated glare. "And _you're_ the one who stole my partner from me, aren't you? 

Rei's eyes widen in surrender. She was clearly uncomfortable. Meeting new people was never easy, especially if it seemed like they hated you. "Well, i- it's only temporary and stuff, you know? It's not like you guys aren't partners anymore, right?" She held her hands up, making her seem more vulnerable. 

Maka's tense face slacked, letting her light-hearted features take form on her face and she laughed. "I know! I'm just kidding, don't worry. If Soul's ever being a perv or anything don't hesitate to come and tell me, i'll smack his face off." She let her spirited smirk adorn her face. Nobody, absolutely no one wants to be on the other side of her book. 

"So, what did you Meisters do in Stein's class today?" Tsubaki asks softly. Her voice clashed with the commotion of the brimming room. It was a miracle someone like Black*Star could have such a soothing partner. 

You scoffed and looked over at Kid, a silent acknowledgement of the past week. "We did a small crossword puzzle, not too much of a big deal." 

"What?" Liz doubted, "That's ridiculous! We're over in the other class trying to grind each other into ash. They work us to death, and you guys are over here doing crossword puzzles?" 

"Well," You defended, "Usually we do trust exercises and stuff, this was just kind of a special occasion because-" 

"Because Mr. Fuckin'- Scalpel hands would rather get a fat check of cash than teach us the good stuff, that's why!" Black*Star interrupted abruptly. He was right, though. It was quite ridiculous that Prof. Stein was making his students do the work for him so that _he_ could keep the money to himself. 

"That's so not-cool." Soul said calmly, "Nothing he does ever makes any sense. He's a lunatic." 

"Yeah," Rei butted in, "That fucking sucks, hopefully you guys don't end up failing..." She took a long sip of her drink, turning her eyes away from the conversation nonchalantly. Easy for her to say, she's never gotten an 'A' in her life. 

"We'll be just fine," Kid reassured, "besides; he can't fail us, if he does, I'll just talk to my Dad or something, I'm sure he'll do something about it." 

"That's what you're gonna do, Kid," Black*Star jeered, "talk to your daddy?" 

"Yes!" he argued, "why not? It would be Prof. Stein's fault if he failed to teach us an entire quarter of material, and instead, compensated by flunking us. That wouldn't be fair." 

"Well, yeah but," Maka asked, "If that happens then how is anybody supposed to know who _really_ deserves to pass the class or not." Maka turned her head in Black*Star's direction accusingly. " _Some_ _of_ _us_ , are actually trying to learn the material. Not just interrupt the class every time they want attention." 

"Get burned, bitch!" Patty yelled. 

"What are you looking at me for?" Black*Star shrugged aggressively, "This is basic stuff, I'm gonna surpass God one day, of course someone as able as I would already know this shit." 

"Black*Star, you literally had to try and steal the answers for the 'Super Written Exam' because you knew you wouldn't be able to pass without them." Soul Pointed his finger. you could still remember his limp body stuck to the black board on that fateful day. In fact, you barely passed yourself. At least he had the guts to pull a stunt like that. 

For the remainder of lunch, everyone had been relatively quiet, with the exception of small conversations breaking out here and there. You had finally started to become more comfortable in their presence, and they were actually pretty nice. You'd make sure to thank Kid later for inviting you to sit with him. From the passing conversation, you noticed that Rei and Liz had hit it off well. You were happy for her. She was never too good at making friends by herself. 

When the period bell rang, the group diverged off into their next classes, saying their goodbyes for the hour and promises of talking later.

"It was nice meeting you two," Maka said, shaking your guys' hands one at a time. "We should hang out one of these days, I think it'll be fun. See you around!" And with her parting words she was off to her next class. 

You only had about three more classes left, you mentally sighed at the relief that school was almost over. It was nice knowing that you had made a couple friends. And hell, Maka wasn't nearly as bad as she seemed in class. Her and Kid were actually a lot alike in that way. 

"So... that went well?" You asked Rei, walking beside her to math class. 

"Yeah, they're actually pretty nice." She smiled, opening the door and walking to her desk. 

New friends and trust. Maybe one day you'd trust them as much as you did Kid, or even your own partner. Even if Stein's puzzle hadn't been too helpful, at least it had taught you one thing; Kid's actually really cute when he thinks, he has this little contemplation face where his eyes squint and his cheeks puff up. You'd really like to see it more often. 

Also, stop listening to Stein, he's literally crazy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay! so you've finally met the main group. Now that we have that established, this will finally be able to segway into the drama i've been cooking up in this little head of mine. Strap on your seatbelts folks, full steam ahead! As always, if you enjoy reading, kudos and comments (validation lol, you guys keep me inspired) are always appreciated. Thanks for reading! :)


	11. Chapter 11

_Rule # 11 :They always say "No matter how many times youget knocked down, keep getting backup." but after you fall a couple of times on hard ground, your ass hurts like hell, taking a little bit of rest before you get up is okay (even if your stubborn partner says otherwise)_

_**Week** **3-** **day** **1** _

//

Most people have never imagined being tied up next to someone they've only known for three months, you were no exception. Maybe you were overanalyzing Stein a bit too much, but he sure as hell has a thing for physical contact, too much for comfort. 

Or maybe he just really likes hands? 

Regardless, here you were now, under the sunny Nevadan sky; bound by hand and foot to your partner, Kid. When Stein and Sid had announced the weekly objective, you assumed it would be a simple task, like a three-legged-race or something of the sort -but of course not, who were you kidding? This is the DWMA, where nothing is ever as it seems and Death himself has thousands of literal children to do his work for him. This was no 'three-legged-race,' this was war. 

Or as close to war as eight one and two star meisters could get to it. 

Your team was the last one to get the ropes tied onto your bodies; Kid just _had_ to make sure that the ropes were tied using a 'figure-eight knot' and not a 'bowline knot,' because according to him, "They're just not the same, Y/N. One is used for making sure people don't fall off of cliffs and the other is the third weakest knot known to the knot database." Yes, apparently there's a 'knot database.' Kid must have made a good boy scout when he was eight, he seems like the kind of child that parents force into the scouting program at a young age. 

Or maybe he just really likes knots? 

Anyhow, after the knot predicament was solved, balance was restored and life finally had its meaning again- but now you had to deal with Black*Star and Ox's shenanigans. Those two were like a firepit and a rainstorm; exact opposites in almost every way. 

Each team was given another to spar with by the end of the week. Each fight personally assigned by Sid and Stein to 'accurately gauge and assess skill level.' You were glad to know that your team's skill level was on par with a demon capable of looking God in the eye and flipping him off, and a 16-year-old boy who looks a 37-year-old man who hasn't felt the touch of a woman since his ex-wife in 2004, when she accidentally brushed hands with him while she was sliding the divorce papers across the dinner table. 

Luckily, you'd be able to have an entire week of practice before you had to move on to the big stuff. It was simple really, the key to it is coordination. The only problem with that is you had no idea how you were supposed to be coordinated with Kid, of all people. Sure, he's a nice guy. Yes, you respect him as a person-quirks and all-but you had no idea how you were going to be able to copy his mannerisms, movements, and fighting style. 

Kid moves with grace, everything is prepensive and refined. He also has to use both of his hands to fight, which would prove to be a huge disadvantage when going head-to-head with other opponents. 

While effective, your fighting style was a lot more impulsive, consisting of watching the other side and playing by ear. Having an unpredictable partner paired with someone who was overly predictable is a recipe for disaster. 

Each group was given a large punching bag hung on the trees in the 10-acre school-owned forest behind the campus. 

At first, the two of you tried to coordinate the steps: Kid steps first, you follow second, he'd control the tied arm and he'd cue your punches. It made sense in the beginning, he was the most distinguished at fighting, it would be reasonable to assume he'd end up being more dominant. 

But after each hit, you'd pull him back, and you'd you'd get hit by the bag, or get your wrist close enough to being dislocated than you'd like. Sometimes your mind would get confused and you'd move the tied leg before you were supposed to and the two of you would tumble to the soft, but rough grass. 

As you looked around, some of the teams were struggling as well. In fact, Ox and Black*Star themselves appeared to be having the same problem. While more linked groups were excelling at the task, others were failing miserably. 

The thick grass looks soft at first glance, but after falling on your ass a couple of times, you come to realize that the dirt below the moss trumps whatever comfort any amount of grass could do to soothe your pain. 

This was hopeless. 


	12. Chapter 12

_Rule # 12 you've made a connection when you can still love someone even after you know all their faults, don't overlook them though, because that's idolizing the idea of someone, not them._

**_Week 3- day 3_ **

**_//_ **

"Stop moving your hand off cue, Y/N. You're gonna make us fall again." 

Kid was sure he should be mad, or at least a little bit frustrated. One of his biggest pet peeves was when someone didn't listen to directions, and people who happen to be absurdly clumsy. Y/N happened to be both of those people. Well, not absurdly clumsy, he had to cut some slack; the thick rope was making everything extremely hard to move around, it was no surprise they were falling as much as they did. 

Kid just couldn't find it in him to be upset, not when he could feel warm fingers grazing his own just a smidge away--or your soft touch when you gracefully tumbled to the ground. To him, everything you did was lovely, in an objective sort of way. It's not like he thought _you_ specifically made imperfections graceful--it was just a general observation. Definitely not just you

He couldn't be mad when you tugged his right hand just a little too hard, or when you stepped on his foot and scuffed his shoes (asymmetrically, might he add.) Or when you plummeted down to the floor and landed right on top of him, holding your stare into his eyes a little longer than societally acceptable. God, how your eyes looked in the vignette border of the sun's rays. Was that creepy? He didn't know. 

"Uh, sorry," Kid maneuvered himself so you could get off of him without digging yourself into a deeper mess, god forbid he make the situation more awkward than it already was. With muttered 'yeahs,' 'justs,' and 'uhms' spoken quietly to each other, the two of you were back on your feet and ready to fight. Or as ready as you were two days ago. 

Yesterday, you had almost gotten the hang of being able to move and run without falling too hard. Of course-there were exceptions like two minutes ago-but for the most part, you were at least comfortable with walking. But walking wasn't going to beat the other team, and if Black*Star and Ox had any chance at fighting symmetrically, which he doubted, Kid wasn't sure he could possibly ruin it. 

  
Wait, maybe that was the issue?

"Wait, Y/N, before we start again- I think I know what's going on." He stopped you with a tug on your shared arm. 

"Kid, we've tried everything!" You argued, shrugging your shoulders in defeat. "I just say we wing it, we can't possibly be worse than whatever Ox and Black*Star are doing, can we?" 

He laughed and looked back at the aforementioned pairing, who despite having two days to work on their skills, still were struggling to get a step in before fighting with each other. They looked like conjoined twins trying to rip the other from their body. "We do that every time we can't figure something out, though. Besides, like I said, I think I know what the issue is." he thought with a pregnant pause. "Promise not to laugh though, okay?" 

"I promise." You nodded intently, "Now tell me." 

"We need to be symmetrical." 

"What?" 

"We need to act as if we're the same entity, not two minds in one body." He explained 

"Isn't that what we're doing?" you asked. 

"Not exactly. We're planning all of our movements, telling each other when we get to move. If we're going to get this down, we need to move instinctually, like we're two halves to the same body and not two minds with one body, do you understand?" he smiled reassuringly, hoping to get your trust. 

That's what he loved about you (platonically, of course) you didn't just listen to him because he's the Shinigami's son. You weren't afraid to ask for clarification and try to make sure you were doing things right. Not out of fear, but by simply wanting to get things done. 

You were never condescending about it either, even if you had to call him out, you always made sure to ask if he was okay. Like you understood him in a way other's couldn't. Even if that was kind of stupid if he really thought about it. You don't really understand. No one does. 

But even if you didn't fully understand, you could still be his other half, if even just temporary. because being tied together doesn't mean you now automatically know everything about each other. It was just a metaphor. Kid really had to stop coming up with metaphors, they were starting to become confusing. 

Anyhow, he was determined to make this work. He has to pull through. Because if he couldn't be a good partner, or even a dependable friend, what was he other than some deadbeat son of a god. He's trash if he can't even do the one thing he's supposed to be good at. So by death he's going to be symmetrical, and he's going to pass this class by himself, and he's going to make sure he doesn't let you down. Not like every other time. 

And especially not now. Though he wasn't certain why. What made you so different? That too was a stupid question, of course. Everyone has something about them that makes them different. But there was this feeling- a tiny little pulse and instinct telling him there was something discernable between the spaces of your heart. 

He's going to find out what is is. He has to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> decided to post twice in a row because I felt the last chapter wasn't long enough to justify having to wait two more days just to read the next one.The next chapter is the Halloween chapter I mentioned a little while ago. It's a little late but, such is life. thanks for reading! :)


	13. Chapter 13

_Rule #13: stay hydrated ;)_

_**Week 3- day 5** _

_**//** _

It worked. You never thought that you'd ever admit that symmetry would be the answer, but holy fuck it worked. The two of you were working in tandem, like an undiscovered talent that had awoken by a miracle. It was almost surreal how easy it was when you had taken Kid's advice to heart. Resonating is so much more than the mind and the soul--but the body as well. 

It was finally time to go head to head with the other team. Luckily you weren't first, so you were able to watch Maka's team fight Kilik's before the stage would be set for you to beat Black*Star's ass. You knew Ox would be an easy fight. Hell, he was too frustrated to even try anymore. Shoes you had walked in only a couple of days ago. But to see the look on Black*Star's face when you would finally take him down, that would make it all worth it. 

Today happens to be Halloween, so it was nothing short of unsurprising that the entire student body would be aching to get out of school and let the festivities begin. Halloween in Death city is chalk filled with events to preface the celebration on the night itself. Kids prepare weeks in advance putting together costumes and planning huge parties. So it would be reasonable to assume that on top of being inexperienced, students would be rushing to finish their classes to leave in time. 

Maka and Kim pounded their fists into Tom and Kilik simultaneously, a technique you tried with Kid just a couple days ago. This sent Kilik tumbling to the ground, dragging his partner behind him. You weren't sure what the rules of the fights were, but the moment they both hit the grass, Sid declared Maka's team the winner of the match with a wave of his hand. So that was it- don't get knocked down- easy enough right?

Sure, when you were fighting Black*Star and Ox it was easy. The moment you and kid stepped foot onto the grass, you gave each other an assured nod, the two of you would win this thing--and you did. As soon as Stein blew the commencement whistle, Black*Star came barreling towards you, dragging Ox by the feet before he would be ready to move. You and Kid dodged a bullet when he pounced, trying to knock you down. But he only dug his own grave. Black*Star and Ox were now both on the floor, declaring you and Kid as winners before you even had to do anything. 

Fighting Maka and Kim's team on the other hand, not so easy. Maka was able to predict almost every one of your moves and block them while Kim would go for the offense and attack. Though they were two people, they only had the strength of half a person, that's where you're advantage came in. Your attacks were strong, there were a few times that Maka almost was knocked down, but her feet were rooted firmly into the ground. 

At the end of the day, you didn't win the fight, but the two teams were given kudos for the show in technique. 

The day passed by slowly, and the anticipation to get out of school made it go by even slower. Most teachers were pretty lax on homework assignments for the weekend, while others gave their usual in complete disregard for the circumstances. 

But all things must end eventually, and so it did. You and Rei had found each other outside your respective final classes for the day, and made your way to the school courtyard. 

"So... do we have any plans for later tonight or are we just gonna do the usual?" Rei asked. Usually on Halloween nights, the two of you would buy a shit-ton of candy and popcorn and watch movies until the sunrise, and subsequently sleep the entire day away with aching stomachs and groggy heads. 

"Yeah, that sounds fine." you replied. "Unless you want to go trick'or'treating with that freshman in your calculus class, I'm sure he'd _love_ to go with you." 

"Oh my God, shut up!" she hit your shoulder playfully. "We're _way_ too old to go trick'or'treating and that poor boy does not have a crush on me, stop bringing it up." 

"I think he does," you quiped "Have you seen the way he looks at you? He _so_ has a crush on you." 

"Well, he's way too young for me." she giggled, thinking for a moment before she would continue her teasing. "Besides, he looks at me the same way you look at Kid." She cocked her head knowingly. That was uncalled for. 

You nearly gasped out loud. "I do not! You're crazy." 

"You do too, and you know it! Stop being an idiot!" 

Before you could finish your playful banter with each other, Liz and Patty came darting through the crowd, with Kid following not far behind.

"Hey guys." Liz said, out of breath. "We were looking everywhere for you two." 

"We can tell," Rei chuckled, "So what's up?" 

"We wanted to ask if you guys wanted to come over later today for a sleepover type-a thing. We do it every Halloween with everyone else. We eat shit, watch movies, play dumb games; ya know, stuff like that," Patty said. 

You looked over at Rei, asking for her silent approval. She didn't look unhappy or disappointed, so you took that as a yes. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. What time should we come over?" 

"Eight." They both said synchronously. 

"And wear comfy clothes," Added Liz, "Or a change, I know I hate sleeping in my normal clothes." 

"Oh!" Patty yelled out, "Bring some candy or something too. You guys know how to get to our house right?" 

You shamefully looked back at them. "Uh, no I don't think so." 

"That's fine," Liz reassured, "It's the creepy-ass house at the bottom of that one empty street. You know, the one with all the skulls, graves, crosses and stuff?" 

Oh, _that_ one. You'd seen it before. Of course he lived in that house. "Oh yeah, I know where that is. Thanks for inviting us, we'll see you later, alright?" 

"Of course," Patty waved, "Bye guys, see you later," The sisters retreated back to their Meister, who was talking to Maka and Soul over by the door. You would have gone over there, but you concluded that it would be weird considering you just talked to the girls. 

So you and Rei made your descent down the stairs, idle conversation at its finest. You were actually pretty excited to go to Kid's tonight. You had always wondered where he lived, you knew it couldn't have been in the broom closet. At the same time, your stomach was turning in anxiety. You didn't have any clue why. Perhaps it was the new environment in which you'd have to see him in. You'd be in his house. You'd sleep in his house. You'd see him sleep. Well, unless he slept in his own room, but usually sleepovers don't work out like that. There were just so many factors to take in. 

But you'd be okay. There would be other people so you'd be fine. You'd have Rei right by your side if you needed her. It would all be okay. 

Now, all you had to do is wait. 

//

The walk to their house actually wasn't as long as you expected. It was only a couple blocks from where you lived. 

Your heart was still beating out of your chest. You could hear faint noise through the walls of the house. It looked like some people were already there. That was good. You don't know what you would've done had there been no one but yourself in there. 

Patty came barreling to the door, dressed in a tank top and cut-off leggings. Everyone was in some type of pajamas. You mentally let out a breath of relief, you were scared you would be the only one. 

"Hi guys," she greeted, "Just set your stuff down on the table and we'll get started pretty soon. We're just waiting for Black*Star and Tsubaki to get here." 

After talking to Soul, Kid noticed you enter from his peripheral vision, he walked over to you and Rei happily. 

"Hey," he smiled, "I'm glad you two could make it." 

God, his house was huge. The foyer alone was probably the size of your entire apartment. Everything was kept pristine and the decorations were placed aptly at both sides of the room symmetrically. You were almost afraid to even walk in, messing up the 'balance' of the room. 

"Me too," you replied calmy, trying your best not to spill your guts on his granite floors, "It's kind of cool to be able to see you outside of a school setting, you know?" 

He laughed politely, "Well yeah, of course. We're friends aren't we?" 

you weren't sure if it was the unfamiliar circumstances or the open space, but after he said that, something in your heart dropped. Only slightly dampening your mood. Not enough to completely ruin your night, though. 

With a triple-knock and a kick, the door came flying open and Black*Star came bolting through. Tsubaki winced and held her head abashed. "Sup' peasants, your almighty god has come to grace you with his presence." He hung his hands high above his head. What a dramatic entrance.

"I swear Black*Star." Kid's feet shuffled to his abused door, swinging loosely on the hinges and being open and shut by the wind. "If you busted my locks or even _scratched_ the paint..." 

Soul and Black*Star high-fived comradely. "Sup' man, sick entrance." Soul mused, "But I think you might have given Kid an aneurysm." 

"Ehhh whatever," Black*Star waved flippantly, "He'll live." 

Everyone looked back at the poor, poor Kid, trying fruitlessly to rub the scuffed paint off his pearl-white door. As humans tend to do, everyone watching laughed at his visible pain. "I don't think so, man. He looks like he's going to faint." Liz chuckled. 

"Soooo... Anyone wanna watch a movie?" Patty offered. "We have a shit-ton of food that needs to get eaten." 

//

The group had voted for a horror movie, which was appropriate given the date. It had come out just a few months prior, so not everyone had seen it, including you. But regardless of the categorized genre, it was much less chilling and more absurd. You had let out more blood-curdling screams when getting hit by a Kishin than by an uncanny doll sitting in a closet. Everyone else seemed to think so too because the room was ghost silent except for the eerie music emanating from the T.V. Not anxious silence either, you felt yourself saturated with everyone's bored demeanor. 

"This is soo boring!" Black*Star was the first to speak up, he grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoveled it into his mouth. "Isn't there anything else to do?" 

Liz grabbed the remote, getting ready to turn off the T.V as requested by popular demand. "Well," she offered, "We could play a game or something. Anyone have any ideas?" 

"Ooh, what about truth-or-dare. It's a classic." Patty exclaimed. 

"Come on-" Soul sighed, "Don't we already know everything about each other already? It's always so dramatic anyways." 

"I think it sounds fun." Tsubaki said. "We've never played with Y/N or Rei before, it might be nice." 

"I mean, I'm fine with anything. As long as nobody makes any incessant mess, I'm good." Kid added. He had already started grabbing loose wrappers and cups from the coffee table. 

"What about you guys?" Maka asked, looking over to you and Rei, who had been zoning out for the past hour looking at a picture on the wall.

"Oh, me?" Rei questioned, pointing to herself, "Yeah, i'm good with whatever you guys wanna do." 

"I'm cool with that too," You added, "That movie was kind of boring, anyways." The worst they could possibly do was ask who your crush was. Classic truth-or-dare question. That being said, you could always say you didn't have one. Which would only be kind-of a lie, since you weren't even sure you had one in the first place. They wouldn't question it, right? 

Imagine if you tried to explain. Here you were--inside of Kid's house, telling everyone that you might have a crush on him, when you were like 99% sure he didn't harbor any feelings whatsoever towards you. Awkward. 

But before you could dwell on it any longer, the entire group huddled into a circle on the floor. There was the unfinished bowl of chips nestled in between the groups. How convenient, if needed you could always just toss a heaping pile of chips into your mouth to temporarily escape the question. God forbid you choose dare. Knowing your company, you were certain it wouldn't end well. 

"So-" Maka begun, "Who wants to go first?" 

"I'll go." Tsubaki offered herself up. "Patty, truth or dare?" 

The game went by pretty smoothly. No one had gotten hurt yet. No one had made a huge mess (at Kid's will, of course) And most importantly, no one had asked you anything yet. That was, until your name was called amidst your transient thoughts. 

"Y/N, truth or dare?" Black*Star asked, a knowing smirk laced upon his sharp features. There was no way you could pick dare. Not with this crazy adrenaline-freak.

"Truth." You spoke confidently. Careful not to let your anxious thoughts express themselves to the group. 

"Seriously? I was gonna give you a good one." Black*Star scoffed. 

"By 'good one' you mean one that would end up with a broken neck, right?" Maka rolled her eyes. 

"No blood on the carpet, _please_." Kid begged, "That would take ages to clean up." 

"No worries, Kid." Black*Star assured, "There's no blood just yet. Can't be so sure about later, though." 

Kid grimaced and sighed, holding his fingers on the bridge of his nose. It was actually kind of funny how they liked to give him a hard time. 

"Alright, alright," he brought the conversation back. "So, truth huh? What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done." 

"Oh, well-" Conflict successfully avoided. Not completely, you still had to tell everyone your most embarrassing moment. But that was leagues above having to confess to everyone about your shameful crush on Kid (that once again, you wren't even completely sure was a crush, right?) 

The same question had been rolled around for a little while more, doing silly dares, asking stupid questions. It hadn't gotten to Kid yet. He had been sitting patiently, his eyes wandering to a distant painting hung on the wall. There was probably something magical about it. Everyone's eyes loved to gaze upon it once in a while. 

Until it knocked him out of his zone. "Kid, truth-or-dare?" Liz had cocked her head, a smirk grazed her lips as well, but her eyes screamed out death to anyone who had bothered to look. 

"Uh, truth." he spoke with hesitation, he must have noticed the look in her eyes too. 

"Okay Kid, I want you to answer completely honestly." 

"Why wouldn't I?" 

"Do you have a crush on anybody?" Liz asked. Oh god, the dreaded question of the night had been officially delegated to Kid. His face flushed a light pink, and he had to look away for a second. But just as quickly as he became flustered, he regained his composure in half the time. You'd have missed it if you even blinked. But your eyes had been glued onto Kid the entire night, you caught it. 

"No," he stammered, "That's a stupid question, when have I ever had a 'crush?'"

That's when you felt it again. Had you inhaled, you were sure you would have fallen through the floor. The worst part about it was you had no idea why. Okay, great, he didn't have a crush on you. That was good. That means you don't have to worry about reciprocating any feelings. You could forget them all together and live without looking at him through the lens of some unattainable prize at the end of the book. 

You didn't think there was anything to express, you were perfectly fine. But after he said that, you saw Rei turn her head at you sympathetically, her eyes consciously asking you if you're okay. 

The night flew by with even more games, talk, and laughter. But no matter what you were doing, you constantly felt the lingering pain in the cracks of your ribs. You tried not to acknowledge it, but the thought always came flying back to your mind. You honestly, didn't know what to feel. 

It was about three A.M when everyone had finally gotten tired. Some people decided to take the couch, others settled for blankets and pillows on the floor. Though everyone had fallen asleep fairly easily, you couldn't. 

You tried to rest your head, focus on the calming silence of the large house. But no matter your attempts, Black*Star's incessant snoring and the quiet ticks of the clock kept you awake. The feeling looming in your chest wouldn't go away, there was no way you would be able to fall asleep like this. So, you decided to get a glass of water to try and help calm your nerves. 

You placidly made your way through the never ending labyrinth of Kid's halls and down the stairs. You heard faint noises coming from the kitchen. The light was dim and pale. Inside, you found a pot of milk being cooked on the stove with a tired Kid meticulously watching the flame. He barely noticed you enter the room until you accidentally stubbed your toe on the wall. 

He turned his head back abruptly and jumped, startled by your sudden entrance. "Are you okay? What are you doing still up?" 

You laughed quietly, trying not to wake anyone up while still ignoring the stabbing pain in your toe. "I could ask the same for you, Mister. What are you making?" 

"Oh." He turned his head back to the stove and lowered the heat, "I'm making some hot chocolate, do you want some?" 

"Sure," You smiled, "but why are you making hot chocolate at four in the morning?" 

"So many questions..." he shook his head playfully, "can't a guy just make some hot chocolate at the wee hours in the morning without being interrogated?" He took sugar, chocolate, and cups outside of the cabinets. 

"Couldn't sleep?" you asked. 

"Something like that." 

He poured the sugar and chocolate deftly into the pot. The chocolate slowly melted into the milk and he mixed leisurely, trying not to make any noise. You watched intently as he made the sweet drink with such care and attentiveness. His movements were lethargic, something you had never seen before from him. He had always walked gamely, his head held up high. 

He was so vulnerable this way. He didn't look like the Shinigami's son in the faded light. He looked like a normal boy, who had been up way past his bed time making hot chocolate to share with his friend. _friend._ That's all you would ever be to him. Something about that word threatened to make bleach-like tears spill down your cheeks, but you let them pool in your eyes instead. What you weren't about to do, is cry about a boy. What good could that possibly do?

He poured the drink into two ceramic cups and brought them over to the island in the center of the kitchen. He pulled out two bar stools from under and allowed you to sit down. He took the seat right next to you and handed you your cup. "Careful," he warned "It's hot." 

You held the cup in your hands, feeling its warmth heat up your hands delightfully. The steam rose from the cup and into your nose, it smelled so good. You wondered if he did this a lot. 

"So, what was keeping you up?" You asked him, he took a light sip of his hot chocolate before answering. 

"You know me, I start thinking something's off and then I go to fix it. And then I think another thing's off so then I have to go fix that. It's nice to be able to distract myself with something. What better way than with this?" He took his spoon and swirled it in the cup idly. You could only imagine how hard actually resting was at night for him. Having to constantly battle with your mind is no easy task. "So, what was keeping _you_ , up, hmm?" 

"I was just thinking." 

"Wow, how fascinating." he chided. 

"Very funny, I know." You copied and took a quick taste of your drink. It tasted just as good as it looked. "I guess I was just thinking about last week." 

"The rope thing?" He asked. 

"No sorry, the week before. You know, the whole crossword puzzle thing?" You hadn't been thinking about that tonight, necessarily, but it was a hell of a lot easier than telling him that he'd been the one on your mind. 

"Yeah, what about it?" 

"I know it may sound like it's pointless or 'fake deep,' but like, what is trust--really. I know we found seven different synonyms or whatever, but I feel like it's so much more than that." You leaned you elbow along the island, holding your head up with your free hand. 

"I honestly don't know." He said, "I mean, I know what trust is, but I don't really _know_ what trust is, you know?" 

"Oh my god Kid, stop." You laughed and hit his shoulder playfully, he shook his head and smiled. 

"Sorry, sorry." He held his hands up in defeat, " I have this theory that I start to kind of turn into my dad when i'm tired." 

"You mean you become normal and cool, for once?" He held his smile and leaned in closer to where you were sitting. 

"Tsk Tsk Y/N, I'm always cool." He looked right into your eyes and leaned back bluntly, like he had a realization. He sighed sadly. "No, you're right. I'm actually pretty worthless. I can't even look in a mirror without freaking out. How the hell am I supposed to do anything if I can't even hold my life together." 

He would make offhand remarks like this all the time. Especially when he would have his panic attacks about not being symmetrical or whatever. You never really understood that he actually felt this way, though. You had always assumed that they were comments made in the heat of the moment, not actually deep rooted insecurity. 

In a burst of confidence you put your hands on each side of his cheeks, holding his head to look earnestly into your eyes. "Kid, listen to me," You hushed. "All that stuff doesn't matter, you're perfect just the way you are. It's easy to believe all those things when stuff doesn't go your way, but they're not true. You have lots of people who love you."

"I burden everybody, Y/N. I make everything way harder than it has to be because I just can't control it." 

"You don't burden me," You assured, "I'm actually really grateful for you, as a matter-of-fact. You're incredibly smart and you see the world in a way a lot of people can't. I don't know what i'd do without you." A rose blush tinted your upper cheeks. You still had no idea where all this confidence came from, but it felt so right. 

A smile returned to his face, "You'd probably have to be paired up with Black*Star." 

"Probably." You laughed, taking your hands off of his cheeks. The two of you stared into each other's eyes in comfortable silence. It was so quiet you could hear the other's soft breathing; and if you listened even more intently, you were sure you'd be able to hear his steady heartbeat. 

Your heart was finally at ease basking in his presence. No longer did you feel the tugging weight attached to your rib cage. It was finally peaceful. 

You let out a yawn and got up from your seat, taking your cup to the sink and washing it. Kid joined you at your side and washed his as well. The two of you waved goodbye and said your 'goodnight's' and parted ways. 

Kid found himself laying on the couch, drowning in his thoughts for the fifth time this night. But instead of the swift beating of his heart, he felt his thoughts turn to mush in his brain, letting the heat rush to his face when he was in the presence of absolutely no one at all. He dragged his hand across his face. " _You have lots of people who love you._ " Death, maybe he was letting himself think too deeply about this, as he always did. But as his fleeting consciousness caught up to him slowly, he only wished, prayed, and hoped that _you_ loved him. In whatever way you could possibly love a monster like him. 

_"God," He thought, "One day, you're going to give me a heart attack."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez, i'm busting out chapters like crazy. I've had this scene brewing in my head for about a month and a half, so I hope it lives up to what I expect lol. Speaking of, this is the longest chapter I've written so far, I don't really add the word count to the notes anymore but this was about 4,200 words alone. I really, really hoped you liked it. Thanks for reading !! :)


	14. Chapter 14

_Rule # 14: Don't accept fights you know you can't win, your pride isn't worth the pain._

_**Week 4- Day 1** _

_**//** _

What was this feeling? This awkward, breathless, hulking lump of mush stuck at the bottomless pit of your stomach? At any rate, it would grow a consciousness and live a life on its own. It made your heart beat lively, your legs grow weak. Most importantly, you really needed to stop thinking about it; otherwise; you'd never get to sleep. 

That's exactly what happened. From your poor, shoddy slumber you woke up faint, rubbing the sleep-crusted eyes it fostered from the night before. You blinked, taking in your surroundings and floated through the house. As soon as you knew it, you were sitting patiently in your desk in first period. Where did all the time go? 

"Hey-" Kid tapped you awake from your light-headed misery, "Are you good? You look like you could fall asleep on the table."

"Oh sorry," You yawned, "Just a little tired, that's all." 

"A little..?" 

"Okay," You rolled your eyes, he had done his job effectively. You were now awake, and the pile of mush wouldn't stop growing a blush of its own. "A lot tired, then. Do you know what we're doing today?" _Just ignore it_. 

"I'm not sure," He looked to the door and back to you, his face mudded with uncertainty, "I _do_ know that Stein won't be here for an entire week, though. Miss Marie gave birth to their child yesterday. "

"Awe," you cooed, "I hope he doesn't kill it. He doesn't really seem like the kind of guy who could even take care of a houseplant, let alone a baby." 

He laughed kindly, he had been doing that so much more lately--it was a good look on him. "That's why he has Marie though, right?" And you laughed in return. 

"Right." 

Sid came waltzing through the door, a thick stack of egg white papers held taut in his large hands. Hadn't these poor teachers grown tired of constantly grading papers? This assignment was supposed to be a break from the paperwork; but instead, it had turned into a compilation of busywork and team-building exercises. 

Sid grabbed a piece of white chalk from Prof. Stein's oak desk and started writing on the chalkboard. In big, bold letters he wrote the words every student dreaded to see. 'Pop Quiz.' Everybody winced from the grinding noise of the chalk, covering their ears to try and block out the noise. The attempts were in vain nonetheless, everybody knows that covering your ears does little to nothing. 

"Alrighty, Class. As some of you know, our beloved professor is going to be absent for the entire week caring for his wife and newborn child." The entire class 'awed' at his words. Babies, what more perfect way to get a class of children to pay attention than with them. "So... as you can see from the board, we're having a pop quiz. The entire week."

Kilik scoffed, raising his hand although he fully intended to interrupt regardless, "Isn't it not a pop quiz if it's done during the entire week. I mean- _today_ it would be a pop quiz, but theoretically we could study for the next four if we wanted to." 

"Fine. Fine." He turned around and erased the word 'pop' from off of the board and turned around shrugging defensively. "Is this good enough for you? It's just the word quiz now." he shook his head introspectively, "I was never the guy for technicalities anyways..." Sid stared at the class in awkward silence, any longer and the crickets would start chirping. "Anyways... I'm going to let you talk with your partners to help with the test--but if you communicate with any other teams I'll give an automatic zero." he passed out the papers to Maka, who gave one paper to each group, as how most tests work. 

"Okay!" He called out to the class, "get started." 

Kid's name wasn't pre-written on the paper like it usually was, this was going to last forever. 

//

You tried to help him, that much was true. It was about fifteen minutes until both your name, and his name were able to go down onto the paper before he would stop freaking out. There were tears, lots of them. Luckily, the situation was able to de-escalate. The two of you were able to complete the test-half way before the bell. 

Now, it was fourth period; the events of class now just a distant memory lingering in the back of your head. This class was a lot more physically demanding, as combat classes usually were. 

From dressing rooms, to locker halls they were always filled to max capacity. Students would spill out of their classes and loiter in the corridors, so that made it extra difficult to prepare for class. 

Fights would often break out. Teachers would frequently rush through the mobs to break up little un-official squabbles between the said fight. You personally had never been apart of that crowd, there were never many reasons to get into a fight. Half the time, students had found something petty to argue over and their pride would take over. You had to admit, there were some incredibly skilled recreational fighters here. You'd pray that you would never be on the opposite side of their affection. It looks like today might be the day. 

a red-haired girl bumped you into the locker and your head bluntly hit the door. "Watch where you're going, bitch." As always, completely original. 

You rubbed your head from the impact, it burned but you wouldn't let your guard down that easily. "What's your damage?" she was planning on leaving the confrontation as it was, a simple, but classic shove into a locker. But she turned her head back and laughed at your disheveled form. "I didn't do shit to you," your pride had taken over now too, and everyone who cared enough to watch the bridges burn stuck to the walls of the hallway, making a perfect clearance for a sick fight to go down. 

The girl's friends snickered behind her, a cliche scene from a high-school rom-com where the protagonist gets ruthlessly humiliated, or swept harshly to the tiled floors. Any teachers that could break it up were preparing for their next class, your partner was in the bathroom. You were cornered. 

"You must think you're so much better than everyone, huh?" she spit condescendingly, her ice-cold gaze never wavered from your unwelcome body, leaning coolly on the cold metal door of your locker to feign some kind of confidence. She took the first move. The crowd recoiled and quieted to the slow steps of her kitten heels and her entourage blended into the audience. She stood front and center in the clearing, basking in attention of people who never knew she existed. 

You walked mindlessly into the lion's den, your feet should have stayed at your locker. The words from your mouth seemed to flow freely as her emerald eyes looked down upon you scornfully, you should have kept it quiet. "I don't even know you, " your arms crossed around your chest and you stood upright. She had at least four inches on you, and another fifteen pounds. Though you doubted she would want to get physical in her mini skirt. She was the epitome of bromide popularity. You had never seen this girl in your life, and yet, ere she was causing problems. "So what the fuck do you want?" 

"You think you own him, don't you?" She dodged the question, getting right to her ridiculous point. Her arms matched yours, crossing around her large bust that you would have been eye level with had you been any closer. 

"What are you talking about?" you snapped, trying to hold your haughty aura together. The truth is, you were shaking in your boots. "Own who, exactly?" 

Unbidden whispers echoed from around the halls, loud enough to slip into your ears. 

_"Ugh, these E.A.T students. Always thinking they're better than us."_

_"And they wonder why we don't like them? This bitch needs to get a grip,"_

_"Do you think they're gonna fight? We haven't seen any action in weeks."_

The nameless girl scoffed, a smirk falling on her over-lined lips. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, don't act like an idiot. You think you have a bigger chance than me? You E.A.T students are all the same." 

Kid? This was about a stupid boy? Guess Rei was right about his mysterious group of secret admirers. You took a deep breath and summoned what little confidence you had left. "Sorry," your eyes searched her from head to toe, "It's not my fault you're too stupid to get into the class, I worked hard for my place and I'm not about to be picked on by some Regina George wannabe--go cry about it." a bitter smile met your lips, that worked. 

The girl's face twisted in anger, her pale cheeks heating up in spite. She slammed her heels into the floor, stomping her feet to get some intimidating volume into her steps. She walked closer, you were unmoved. If she didn't finish this soon, you were bound to miss class. 

She was only inches in front of you, her cheap perfume wafting through the air like pungent bleach. "Oh, no answer? That explains it." you spoke with only the slightest hint of sarcasm in your tone, she wasn't going to fight. 

She wasn't going to fight. 

Her sharp nails whizzed past your eyes when she slapped your cheek. The hallway erupted into loud gasps. You stood dumbstruck, rubbing your red hot cheek. You had no idea what to do. Were you just gonna stand there, or fight? It's too late to turn back now. 

You grabbed a strip of her long hair and pulled aggressively, knocking her off her balance. She would have fallen if she didn't ram into you, slamming you into the ground. She curled her hand into a fist and punched into your nose. Cold blood ran down your nose and onto your lips. You had fallen of the side of your heel, it went numb and sore, like chilled pins and needles stabbing into your foot. It had to have been sprained. 

Wrong choice. You should have left while you had the chance.

It might have slipped your mind that even if she wasn't in the advanced talent class, this was still a fighting school. And had she been a blade or weapon of any sort, this could have turned even more nasty real quick. 

You tried to pick yourself up from the ground, wiping the blood from your nose with your sleeve. But her beatings were relentless. "You fucking whore," she breathed out, her face snarling as she pounded into your face. "Stay the fuck away from him. You don't own him, and you sure as hell aren't even good enough for him. Just give it up." 

Members of the crowd screamed words of encouragement to your abuser, chanting and cheering for your poor face to get beat to a pulp. Your attempts were futile, and any word you said would make her more volatile. Everyone was sitting on the tip of their toes, the whispers grew louder, and they were all against you. 

A teacher had noticed the growing crowd and rushed through, separating the students with her hands to make her way to the epicenter. She pried the girl from off of you, who was kicking and screaming in her arms. She escaped relatively unscathed, nothing but a bloody nose and a sore wrist. 

"Go to your classes everyone, there's nothing to see here!" The teacher yelled out, and just as fast as they had paved the way for the fight they funneled into their classes, rumors still fresh on their lips and traveling down the social grape vine. 

Fresh blood continued to run down your nose, you tried to suck it in but it flowed in spite of your own wishes. You tried to pick yourself up from the ground, but your foot was aching and your arms were shaking. Your breaths grew sharp, and your vision remained hazy. The moment the teacher finally helped you up from your place on the floor, your light-headed frame betrayed you, and you fainted unconscious. 

You woke up in the infirmary bed, left foot wrapped and in dead silence. The room was cold and empty, your nose was still sore from the impact. 

The clock on the wall read 2:05, there was only five minutes remaining until school would end. You had been asleep for most of the day. You wondered if Kid had heard what had happened, he'd kill you himself for your swollen black eye and blue lip. 

Rei came bursting into the bright room. The slamming sound of the door resonated in the room, stealing you attention from the poorly decorated wall in front of you. Her lungs were breathing heavily as she stood in front of your hospital bed. Her pale face screamed pissed while her eyes read concerned. She had her books clutched close to her chest and your bag slung across her back. 

_"Dude, What. The actual. Fuck?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm not the best at writing physical fights, so I hope this chapter wasn't too unbearable. as always, thanks for reading :)


	15. Chapter 15

_Rule #15: Baked shit is the sweetest remedy for an injured part, and honeyed words from the person you l̶o̶v̶e̶ care about._

_**Week 4- day 3** _

_**//** _

_"What the fuck happened, Y/N?"_ Kid asked through gritted teeth, inhaling deeply as he sat at the foot of your bed. Rei must have let him in. That was the only reasonable explanation, unless he picked the lock of your front door. 

"Uh, I don't know. What does it look like?" 

"It looks like-" he pinched the bridge of his nose momentarily and looked up at you. "It looks like you got into a fight and sprained your damn ankle. In a fight... about me? Can you explain that?" 

Of course he had to find out. The entirety of B hall had watched the fight break out into a pathetic mess. You were apart of one of the most experienced fighting classes of the DWMA, yet you were downtrodden by a stranger in the N.O.T class. How humiliating. 

What made it even worse was the fact that at least half of the predicament had in fact been about him. The other half? You weren't too sure. His disappointed voice left a sour taste in your chest, nonetheless. This was inevitable. 

"I promise, Kid. It's nothing you need to worry about. It was just some bitch trying to act tough. I'm fine." Nothing about his demeanor changed. He was fighting the urge to yell again, that much was evident. But he resisted, he knew just as well as you did that yelling gets no one anywhere. 

"You don't look very fine." he sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "But okay, i'll take your word for it. I didn't come here to scold you anyways." 

"Oh?" you smirked, sitting yourself up from the soft, billowy blankets of your warm bed. You hadn't left it for days due to your injured foot. Rei had been taking care of you like a personal nurse. You quite liked the treatment. Had you known any better you would have probably started fights a lot more often. Or maybe not, your foot hurt like absolute hell. "Then why are you here, huh? I wouldn't suppose you missed me. Is that it?" 

He scoffed, shaking and turning his head to hide the growing blush on his cheeks. "Of course I missed you, stupid. You're my partner." He had finally calmed himself down. You were actually quite glad he dropped the topic. 

He pulled out a plate of wrapped cookies bashfully and held them out to you. He placed them on your lap and looked in your direction, not being able to maintain eye contact. "I also made you these...hope they're okay." 

"Awe, look." you grabbed the plate, looking at each of the eight cookies stacked under the saran wrap. They were all perfectly circular. "They're even symmetrical too. you shouldn't have." You waved your hand at him and his ever growing blush dusted his cheeks like paint. 

"Well, it was actually Patty's idea." he deflected. "She kind of saw the whole thing go down and felt bad that you, quote-on-quote "Got your ass beat." so she wanted to do something." His eyes looked aside. Poor, boy. He was so embarrassed. It was your job to make things worse, though; isn't it? 

"Oh, so Patty made these? Please thank her for me." 

"No," His shaky voice let out in a crack, "I- I did--She just gave me the idea..." his mumbled words trailed off into the distance. His fingers picked dust off of his ironed black pants anxiously, he stared at your indisposed form sitting upright in your bed. 

"They're good." you said. 

"Really?"

"Yeah..."

The two of you stared at each other in awkward silence, unspoken words left hanging in the air. He said he would drop it, but the tension of knowing that _he_ was the reason you had gotten hurt was eating his insides. 

But slowly, your awkward smile turned into something just short of a laugh, melting the thick air of apprehension held between the distance. Soon, your smile became a small giggle, trying to hold back laughter. 

"What?" he asked, resisting the urge to start laughing himself at the behest of your own contagiousness. 

"It's just--sorry," you let yourself calm, "It's just--first the hot chocolate, now the cookies. I didn't think you were quite the baker." 

If Kid wasn't blushing then, he certainly was now. 

The rest of his time at your house was spent all the same. 

You enjoyed his company, once you got past the tensive air lingering. Then it dawned on you, he was in your room. _Death the Kid was in your room_ , sitting on your bed, and he wasn't freaking out. 

You had imagined the scenario many times before. It never ended this well. You always pictured him with a garbage bag emptying out your cabinets, or with a bottle of chemicals wiping down your windows aggressively. But here you were--talking, laughing, with only a little self-consciousness in the back of your head. 

You almost felt sad when he had left. Missing him already just seconds after he closed the door, leaving you in the quiet of your own thoughts and the hot air of your chest. 

_This was going to be a long night._


	16. Chapter 16

_Rule # 16: What you don't know can't hurt you._

_**Week 4- day 5** _

//

Kid knocked on the door to your apartment. He had seen you only two days ago, but it had felt like an eternity. This time, he had come to bring a stack of homework for you and Rei. He had no obligation to do so, of course. He just wanted to. 

He just wanted to see you, as silly as it sounded. 

So, then he did have some sort of an obligation. _As your partner_ , he told himself. 

He had been on your doorstep several times before: To pick you up for your... hangout? Date? He had been standing there just days ago; and now, again. Each time he did he was always equally as nervous. There was no real justification, as much as he tried to come up with one. Though he had to say, his heart dies a little inside when your partner open's the door instead of you. 

She always had this look of silent contemplation, of silent judgment. Like she's analyzing his every move and plotting the right way to murder him if he ever makes a false step. 

Like she knew a lot more than she led on to. 

This time, she answered the door with the same aporetic glare. "Oh. It's you..." She stepped out of the house, closing the door behind her. "Again?" 

She had never questioned it. In fact, last time the only thing she did was open the door and lead him to your room. As he walked through your halls, he took notice of how clean the entire apartment actually was. If it was 'dirty' in any way, he was fully prepared to clean it out of the kindness of his heart. But he was pleasantly surprised, nonetheless. 

He held the stack of thin white papers out to Rei, "I'm just here to drop off some homework, that's all." She took the stack and skimmed through the papers, grimacing at the questions. 

"All of this? For one week!" she sighed and fanned herself gently, "That's what I get for having a little cretin for a meister..." 

Kid couldn't help but chuckle at that. From what he'd heard, it was quite the contrary. 

Rei had slacked her posture and leaned back on the door, surveying Kid once again with _that_ look. He wasn't even sure what to call it--judgy? Whatever it was, it made him uncomfortable. He was used to being unwelcome, but never without knowing why. Did she just not like him? 

He pivoted himself on his heels, "I guess I'll be going then. Tell Y/N "bye" for me. See you two on Monday-"

"Wait-" As he had turned his head, Rei had called out to him; her arms crossed loosely over her chest. 

His eyes singled in on her posture again. She was a thousand times more relaxed and less critical, though her eyes remained firm and dead set on her target. She pushed a piece of hair behind her left ear, leaving it untouched on the other side. This bugged him greatly, but now was not the time. 

"Do you like Y/N? You can tell me, I promise I won't say anything." Her head cocked knowingly as she slid back onto the door, her hands now resting on her slender hips. 

_What?_

"listen, It's fine if you do." she reassured, "I just want to know, that's all." 

He swallowed the lump in his throat. This was an easy question, and yet the confrontation still shook him. Sure, he did. You had always been a good friend. He didn't _dislike_ you. 

"Of course I do." He let out, playing with his thumbs against his pants. "Why wouldn't I? We're friends ar-"

"You're so dense. You know that? That's obviously not what I meant." she interrupted, her tone derisive enough to kill a horse. "Do you have feelings for her? _That's_ what I'm asking. Don't dodge the question." 

Kid stood in front of her like a deer in headlights. He's always just been able to put off the question until he was ready to handle it. He's not stupid. He knows what he feels. Is he ready to admit it? 

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He's tired of procrastinating his feelings. Something needed to happen, even if it would ruin everything. At least it would be out, even if only to your partner. 

"Okay, maybe there's something there." He stuck his hands into his pockets, trying his best to appear in control, even if that couldn't be further from the truth. He was stuck in a more vulnerable position than he'd wanted to be in. "But what's the point. It's not like there's much I can do about it. It would only ruin everything..." 

"I wouldn't be so sure, man." she sighed and her features softened into sympathetic expression. She picked herself off the door again and shook her head. "You have to at least try. Who knows? You might be surprised."

"I doubt it," Kid sighed dejectedly, "I'm sure if there was anything worth fighting for it would have been reciprocated by now." he scratched the back of his neck and laughed pessimistically. "Isn't this stuff usually super obvious?" 

Rei scoffed and rolled her eyes, stepping closer to Kid's despondent form. "And you think this isn't! it's so obvious, you guys are just stupid--and now, Y/N has to suffer for it."

"What do you mean?" Kid asked. Sure, unrequited feelings were a bitch. Kid knew that better than anybody at this point, but 'suffer' was a bit of a stretch. 

"Listen, Kid. Y/N got beat up by some rando bitch who has a fat crush on you. And apparently, she's not even the only one!" She shook her head bewilderedly. "I had seen the last stretch of the fight and asked around--It was planned. There's an entire group of students who wanted to pick a fight because they think she's competition for your hand or something." 

Guilt had formed in the bottom of his chest. This really was all his fault. "I knew a little bit about it," he admitted, "But not to that extent I-" 

"Listen, It's not you're fault or anything that a bunch of butthurt-fucking-E.A.T class wannabe's sprained Y/N's ankle. I mean It sucks, but there's not much I can do about it. "

In truth, he didn't know what to do. It was one thing to avoid your feelings long enough to make your lungs hurt, but it was another to hurt people because of it. "Really--I don't."

"No," she cut him off, "Just stop." she pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers and exhaled her breath. "I know there's nothing you can do about it. But I'm not about to let Y/N get into fights for a guy who's too pussy to do anything about his feelings. This is getting ridiculous." 

Rei turned around and opened the door, her feet bordering the hinges. Before walking in, she turned to Kid one last time condolingly. "I don't know what you're going to do about it, but I think you should make a move. Keeping it a secret will only do more harm then good." 

With that, she closed the door in his face, leaving him to stand in the cool, stuffy hallway alone with his thoughts. He'd have a lot to think about.

_This was going to be a long night._


	17. Chapter 17

_Rule # 17: When someone tells you to watch the door, do it. It'll save a lot of unnecessary pain._

_**Week 5- Day 1** _

_**//** _

It's funny what people will do for extra credit.

For people like Ox, it means the difference of actually passing the class--maintaining his status as number one student (or so he likes to tell himself.)

For people like you, It didn't matter so much.

An extra twenty-five percent of extra credit wasn't needed, for the first time in a while you were doing so much better than just scraping by. Besides, you weren't in much of a mood for a scavenger hunt anyways. So the hunt for clues to the aforementioned assignment was more of a leisurely stroll around the school halls with Kid.

Groups like Black*Star's and Maka's were eager for the extra points, too eager, and reasonably so. Regardless of being five weeks into the partnerships they still hadn't worked out the kinks that held them back. This had completely dented their standing grades. The breath of competition was in the air, scarce and generous extra credit like this was their boon.

They had been running through empty halls and barren schoolyards, lists in hand.

Kid was busy making sure the windows were spotless. That was the most important.

If you were being honest, you didn't quite care what he did at this point. It was _extra_ credit for a reason, and trailing closely behind him as he scrubbed the windows clean of any dust or imperfections was becoming rather fun.

You were still recovering from your nasty injury, it had reduced to a slight limp now, but sauntering through the halls didn't put too much pressure on it. After he finished with every window he would always turn his head back and make sure you were okay. A sprained foot wouldn't kill you, of course, but it was oddly comforting to know he still cared.

You'd only recently come to understand that the way he shows affection was through small acts like that--baking cookies when you're bedridden, offering to make up for lost time by studying after school, shifting his attention away from his cleaning (if even for a second) to make sure you're okay.

The day had started out peaceful enough, what could possibly go wrong?

Kid had pointed out a large spot on a window somewhere in B-hall, unfortunately he had ran out of cleaner, so the next trip was to the janitor's closet--where he would restock his temporary stock of paper towels and smelly blue liquid.

There had been a rumor circulating a couple of months ago that Kid actually was given his own cleaning supply closet in the school, but that was false. He still had to use the regular old one. That being said, students weren't typically allowed to enter the closet for any reason, but he pulled a bright, silver key out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

Inside held the holy grail of disinfectants and bleaches, chock-full of mops and brooms, rags and bottles of indiscernible liquids. Any raging germaphobe's wildest dream.

The light had blown a fuse at the click of the switch. It was no problem, though.The light from the adjacent hall was plenty enough to grab what he needed and leave as fast as you came. He cautioned you not to close the door. It only opened from the outside, and if it were to somehow close you would be locked in until a janitor needed to grab something again.

You had stepped away from the door for a second, the murky liquid in the sink was just too hard to ignore. A second was all it took. The rush of one of your peers bounding through the halls echoed in your ears. They had bumped against the door during their marathon, and it slammed faster than you could get to it.

_You had one job._

Obnoxious snickering was heard from the other side, the perpetrator was fully aware of their transgression. Despite Kid's relentless pounding on the door, they refused to open it. Was this karma? Did the universe need you to be alone with him? In a cold, dark, and tiny closet nonetheless. Or was this the work of a ruthless, metaphorical author? Your unfortunate fate being held in hands that seemed to crave awkward tension.

Loud footsteps tapped away from the situation, and then, there were two. Kid sighed and stepped back into the darkness. He hadn't seen you standing stiffly behind him, so his body had knocked you back into the shelves. It didn't help that he stepped on your bad foot, sending your nerves throbbing in pain along with the back of your now bruised head.

As soon as he felt the contact he called out. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!." he patted around to find all the places where your body began and ended in the dark. "Are you okay?"

Shit, hopefully this wouldn't add another week tacked onto the recovery. Laying in bed constantly was no fun, and you doubted Stein would let you take any more time off than you already had.

"I'm fine, Kid." you assured. You weren't fine, but what good was being melodramatic?

Trying to steady yourself was a battle. There was hardly any space between the brooms and bottles to hold one person, let alone house two. The added luxury of pitch darkness did nothing to help the thickening air. Then again, perhaps the thick air was less from tension and more from the fact that there wasn't much more than two inches between the two of you. One wrong step would send someone flying back. Or even worse, colliding together. Falling onto his lips wasn't a comforting thought at the moment.

So you tried your hardest, with steel resolve to keep yourself straight. You held the shelf, leaning your weight onto it rather than your pounding foot.

There was a ringing silence, no noise besides the rustling A.C overhead and Kid's shallow breathing. He was right, there wasn't much you could do other than sit it out. Someone would come looking for you...right?

That wasn't likely. Everyone was too busy competing for points and this could have easily been a ruse to keep the two of you from winning. You and Kid had proven to be quite the wildcard during the duration of the assignment, it would make sense that adversaries would send the other teams coming for your neck.

To pass the time, you tried to make out his facial features in the black. His bright, golden eyes shone through it, and you could see the outline of his nose in the dark.

Kid on the other hand, was glad you couldn't see his rosy cheeks amidst the shade. This moment was far too intimate than he liked.

The air in the closet was getting hotter from the growing body heat emanating off the two of you. The quiet was becoming even more frustrating.

"Not to interrupt the absolute _riveting_ conversation we've been having." You broke the silence. "But you're _completely_ sure there's no other way to get out of here?"

"That's correct." He said. "It's no use. If there was, we would have been out of here by now."

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"It's like I told you before, we have to wait for someone to get us."

"But that could be ages!" you threw your hands up in defeat, but they smacked against the shelves, sending the bottles tumbling to the floor. "Dammit."

Kid's eyes widened, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." you shuffled your feet around the bottles. "You don't have to keep asking, I'll live."

You had taken a wrong step on one of the nozzles, the cap slipped and you fell into his chest. The unexpected contact pushed him back into the door, and now your noses were only inches apart.

"Ah, sorry!" You tried to adjust yourself, but every attempt was futile. Each movement put you into different positions, trying to fit back into the closet with enough space to breathe. You ended up against his body again, but now he was standing straight against the door. This was fine.

"Are we about to kiss right now?" he mumbled under his breath. That wasn't meant to slip out. In fact, it was Black*Star who had put that damn phrase into his head anytime anyone had invaded his personal space.

"What did you say?"

"Haha nothing, it's fine." Of course _he_ had to be the one to make things awkward. He prayed that hopefully that meant that you hadn't heard what he said versus you hearing and judging him for the rest of his life.

You probably hated him now too. Yep, he ruined everything. And now you would probably never talk to him again.

You heard the door being unlocked behind him and tried to compose yourself again. Finally, someone has come to save you! But when the door opened up, the two of you fell back onto the floor. Precious light flooded your eyes and the distraught janitor peered over your bodies.

You frantically pushed yourself off of him and brushed your clothes with your palms. The janitor rolled his eyes and took his keys from the door.

"Thank you," Kid said, "And sorry. We'll be on our way now." He grabbed your hand and dragged you away from the scene. He completely disregarded your foot, but you forgave him without a word, you were quite eager to get away from the situation as well.

"Children these days," The poor, underpaid janitor shook his head in disbelief, "when will they ever learn to stop making out in the closet...?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! And I come bearing a short-ish plot divergent drabble to celebrate 1.2k hits. I genuinely never thought anybody would read this considering how dead the soul eater fandom has been for a WHILE. But i'm so grateful for the support this has gathered and happy to be back and writing for it again. As always, Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week :)


	18. Chapter 18

_Rule #18: Some things are easier when you're socially invisible._

**_Week 6- Day 1_ **

**_//_ **

Poking fun at those cliche slice of life teen-movies you watch in 8th grade can be amusing. The fun part is that they're so unrealistic, out of reach. It's not so amusing, however, when you can't pass through the halls without or an askance look in your direction from someone you wouldn't have realized existed otherwise. 

You didn't think that kind of stuff happened. 

Papers advertising the school's annual winter dance were posted on every bulletin board and classroom door possible. No one ever took it too seriously. It was just an event marking the end of the semester. The prospect of a dance gave the student body something more trivial to focus about rather than collecting souls of the damned or cramming for the nearest final. It projected the illusion of a normal school climate--well, normal enough. 

Lot's of people still asked each other out for that night, though most still settled for going with their partner. Landing a date is a particularly difficult task in this school, at least for the E.A.T class. Not once had you ever seen somebody from your class go out with someone but their partner(s,) and in a strictly platonic way too. You had no idea why students from the other class had the impression that _they_ wouldbe the exception. 

Your locker had been flooded with nasty notes from anonymous students who it seemed like decided one day that they would hate you; or maybe it was just a very loud minority. Either way, it was annoying. You hadn't even done anything to deserve this kind of treatment from your peers. 

Each of the short notes were similar in message. They didn't want you going to the dance with Kid this Friday, and they made sure you knew it too. 

You weren't planning on going with him, anyways. There was no way he would ever ask you, and you sure as hell weren't going to ask him either. There are some things that are fine just the way they are. Not taking the dance too seriously is one of them. 

Did you wish he would ask? Maybe a little bit. But that's a pipe dream, and it wasn't worth getting too worked up over. Unless he had different ideas, and he was planning on asking someone else. 

It's not like he belonged to you in any way, shape, or form but thinking about him being with someone romantically kind of shook your bones.

You didn't know why you cared so much. Maybe it was because now you were getting a reputation and negative attention just for being his partner in a semester project. It's not like you were even an active threat to anybody's delusions. You were just...his partner. Maybe you would feel better if you had that relationship to show for it. At least the animosity and jealousy would be somewhat justified. 

The best thing to do in this situation would be to ignore it. Hopefully. You would throw away the stupid notes, walk to your next class, and forget about any kind of relationship with Kid. Maybe if you did, then everybody else would too. 

In the mean time, it would probably be best to stop watching those goddamn movies. You're turning into a protagonist again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops, sorry for the late update. my computer broke a couple of days ago so I had to write this on my phone...blah. Also, thanks to all of you guys who are leaving comments, ya'll are too sweet, i appreciate every single one of them! hope you enjoy, see you next chapter ^^


	19. Chapter 19

_Rule #19: Do what makes you happy._

_**Week 6- Day 5 Part 1** _

__

_**//** _

__

Your hand was being pulled in every direction, tirelessly left and right. There was nothing more scary than a group of girls running through a mall, dragging you into every dress shop that looked cheap enough for high school students to afford but nice enough to wear to tonight's dance. 

Liz and Patty had ordered dresses online through some fancy designer that they could only buy using Kid's platinum credit card., but had apparently decided that it would be fun to stick around and help the rest of the group choose their own. 

It had sounded fun when the idea had first been brought up, you really needed to get out of the house more anyways. But now your feet were hurting from all the walking around, and all of the clothes that you had tried on so far were a bust. All you really wanted to do know was go home. 

After two hours of deliberate searching through racks, everyone had found decent things to wear. Not that it mattered anyways, as literally none of you would have dates, but it's nice to dream isn't it? 

The only person left without anything to wear was you, who vehemently insisted that you didn't want anything, and you would just rummage through your closet and find something suitable for the occasion. Which was partly true, you were planning on finding something you already previously owned, but that doesn't mean you didn't _want_ something new. You were just too poor to afford anything here. You and Rei had burned through your monthly allowance buying useless shit off of Amazon, and of course paying housing fees. You _are_ living off of school funds, after all; and besides, it's too hard to get a job here in the city that isn't customer service. The clientele in Death City is brutal.

So of course, the ever generous Liz promised that she would find you something amazing by tonight, all she needed was your sizes and preferred clothing style..."Her treat." 

Everything had played right into her hands. Liz is a lot more than just generous, she always has a plan brewing on the back burner. So perhaps her generosity has a little more ulterior motive than she lets on to. 

//

Liz Thompson, one of the infamous ' _Devils of Brooklyn'_ corners the Shinigami's son-- Death the Kid in the kitchen, sprinting through the doorway and grabbing ahold of his shoulders, catching him off guard. One would think that the son of a god would be unable to startle easily, especially a death god; but the shriek that Kid let out in that fateful moment rivaled that of banshee. 

He turned around from the stove, spatula in hand and panting heavily, "Holy fuck, what's wrong? You scared me, this better be important." 

She enjoyed catching him like this, it reminded her that he was still a normal, if not a little overbearing sometimes, teenage boy. She let out an excessive laugh, "You scream like a little girl, Kid." 

He rolled his eyes, and turned back around to continue his cooking. "No, I do not." He scoffed, "I scream completely normally for my age, thank you very much." 

She flicked the back of his head playfully, "Sure you do, bud. Is that what daddy tells you to make you feel better?" 

"No..." Kid flipped his food aggressively, "He says I'm still growing and just because my voice happens to be a _little_ higher than that of my peers that doesn't make me any less intimidating." 

"Intimidating, huh?" She folded her arms, "You should listen to him, you do get pretty scary when you realize something isn't symmetrical." 

"Yeah, yeah." he waved her off, "Did you come here just to make fun of me or do you need something? Can't you notice I'm kind of busy here?" 

"Oh, that's right!" Liz slammed her hand on the counter, "What color are you wearing to the dance tonight?" 

"The dance?" He asked. 

"Yeah! The dance, you know, the one that you don't like when any of us bring up because last year's was a little bit traumatizing." 

"Oh, I'm not going." 

Liz's eyes widened. She knew he didn't really like to go to those kind of things in general, plus the added stress of making himself believe that he was a bad luck charm and this year's would end up just as bad as the last one; but she never thought that he just _wouldn't_ go. His father is literally hosting the damn thing, she was pretty sure he was required to go. "What does your father think about that?" 

He shrugged, "I'm just not going to tell him, he won't even notice I'm gone." 

"Oh come on, that's not true." 

"Yes, Elizabeth. It _is_ true." 

"Okay..." she persisted, "Why do you _not_ want to go?"  
  


"Why do _you_ need to know what I'm going to be wearing? You guys already ordered your dresses, right? if you really cared about the three of us matching you would have asked weeks ago" He turned off the stove, and begun to clean off the counters. "What are you trying to do here?"

She laughed bashfully, "You caught me...haha." 

"Just tell me." he let out, annoyed. 

Liz let her shoulders slump, and she took a seat at the barstool. "Well, It's not like you're going anyways. No reason to tell you now." 

Liz had gotten rather good at reading Kid's expressions, his mannerisms, even how to get him to do what she wanted at times-- they didn't call her the queen of the streets for nothing. If there was anything she knew about him, he hates secrets, and he hates not knowing what goes on. The control freak in him, she supposed. 

This had been the perfect opportunity to get him excited for the dance, and to finally make a move on you if she played her cards right--Showing you ugly clothes on purpose, getting Kid to confess, right here and right now, that he wishes he could be attending with you. She wasn't an idiot, she had figured out what was going on a long time ago. 

She knew him a lot better than he cared to admit. 

"Liz, if you tell me why, then maybe I'll go." His hands were splayed on the island countertop, stern mouth on his face. 

"Really? You promise to go if I tell you? You want to know _that bad?_ "

"Yes fine!" He groaned, "Just tell me, you know I hate when I have no idea what's going on." 

Liz chuckled quietly to herself, "Yep, indeed I do." 

Kid shook his head, "Okay, are you gonna tell me?" 

Liz twiddled her thumbs nonchalantly as she spoke, "Well...The reason I asked is because Y/N couldn't find anything to wear so I said I'd look, but I have no idea what color I should get because I was never told any specifics so I thought maybe the two of you could match..." 

Kid let the thoughts process as he watched the dead trees sway through the window in the afternoon light. _Why would we need to match?_ After a couple of quick seconds, the realization dawned on him.

"I swear to god, Elizabeth..."

"What?!" She threw her hands up innocently. 

"Y/N doesn't even like me like that! 

Liz rolled her eyes. _Of course he'd say that._ "Y/N doesn't like you like that, Or do you not like Y/N like that?" 

Kid clenched his fists on the table. "I don't know! I don't know exactly what I feel anymore!" 

He paced around the kitchen on a tangent, waving his hands around as he spoke to himself. Liz just watched in shock, she had never seen him like this before. Well, she had, but not over someone else. 

"You're being immature, Kid." She said. 

"What do you mean. I haven't even said anything, so it's not like anyone will even know about my feelings if I continue to hide it. The semester is almost over anyways, after that we won't have to see each other as much." 

"So you admit you have feelings?" 

He sighed. "...Yeah, I guess." 

"Okay," Liz said, "That's a step in the right direction.." 

"Then what should I do about it?" Kid asked desperately.

"Well," She said honestly, "I think you should confess how you feel. Tonight would be perfect for that, you know." 

"Liz," He said, "I'm probably going to get rejected. I don't know if I want to deal with that, it's just going to make things awkward."

"Maybe," Liz laughed, "But you could try, it's better than keeping secrets from each other." 

Kid rolled his eyes. 

"And who knows," Liz continued, "Maybe you'll be surprised." 

"I don't know..." 

Liz looked at him endearingly, she just wants him to be happy. 

"Well," She stands up, making her way out of the kitchen to leave him alone for the time being, "Do what makes you happy, Kid. Just a word of advice..." 

She's halfway out the door. 

"Red." Kid stops Liz in her tracks. 

"What?" 

_"_ _Red."_ he said again, "I'm wearing a red tie tonight, and maybe I'll wear something else red too." 

Liz gave him a warm smile, she has the perfect thing in mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so maybe my weekly schedule got a *little* interrupted, whoops. Sorry to keep you all waiting, things got really busy but that's life, I guess. I'm going to try and get back on a loose routine again. This chapter was really fun to write, and the next chapter was actually the entire reason I even started writing this story in the first place. Thank you all for waiting patiently and I'll see you next chapter. Thanks for reading! :)


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